Joseph a victim of expectations

[MCuse44]

He's a good system player. Long, athletic, and an above average shooter. Good at cleaning up garbage.

he could not make the leap because he didnt have a great handle, quickness, or the body to bang inside.

he maxed out his potential. nothing wrong with that. he gave us solid years and i hope he does well.

 

[85SUAlum]

Blame Rob Murphy.

He was the one that crowned Joseph a lottery pick going into his Junior season.

KJ always had the physical ability to dominate. He just could never put it together. He failed to reach his full potential while at SU.

But that's okay. Doesn't mean I'm not a HUGE fan of his. He's a great representative of the university and area and I will always root for him and wish him well.

I remember there was a lot of buzz about KJ's NBA prospects after his sophomore year and how he'd probably leave after his junior year, but then he didn't really live up to the NBA hype in his junior year.
Figured he'd come back and polish his NBA resume in his senior year, but I'm not sure he did much to help is NBA draft chances this year.
He has been a great representative of SU basketball and definitely there were games we don't win without him this year, but his play was a bit of a disappointment from the expectations.

 

[44cuse]

To your point above--and I'm not trying to criticize / pile on KJ--but does anyone know if there is something wrong with him physically? He just hasn't looked the same the last third of the year.

Listen, forget the scoring stats--we have an incredibly balanced team, with different players all capable of stepping up on any given night. So I don't mind that his scoring declined--very understandable, given the team we had. But he seemed much more explosive earlier in the year. I had the feeling that while he averaged around 13 ppg, any given night he could knock down some extra threes and easily put up 20+.

I haven't seen that from KJ in awhile. I've wondered whether it had to do with his knees, whether he'd lost strength in his legs, etc.

Again, not looking to criticize--just asking the question. Kris also made a TON of big plays this year at critical times, with games on the line. West Virginia, Louisville, and Cincinnati readily come to mind. We don't win those games without him stepping up huge at the end of those games.

This is exactly how I felt. Something was off in the final 1/3 of the year. That said:

1. Great kid with no off court issues
2. 3+ year contributor
3. Great for the program off the court

Something went wrong for KJ with his body.

44cuse

 

[kcsu]

KJ's strong suit was his explosiveness once he injured his knee he never recovered. He still had a quick first step but nothing like it used to be and he lost a ton off his vertical witness his missed lay up which im sure he had planned to dunk but didnt have the legs to pull it off.

 

[SoBeCuse]

To your point above--and I'm not trying to criticize / pile on KJ--but does anyone know if there is something wrong with him physically? He just hasn't looked the same the last third of the year.

Listen, forget the scoring stats--we have an incredibly balanced team, with different players all capable of stepping up on any given night. So I don't mind that his scoring declined--very understandable, given the team we had. But he seemed much more explosive earlier in the year. I had the feeling that while he averaged around 13 ppg, any given night he could knock down some extra threes and easily put up 20+.

I haven't seen that from KJ in awhile. I've wondered whether it had to do with his knees, whether he'd lost strength in his legs, etc.

Again, not looking to criticize--just asking the question. Kris also made a TON of big plays this year at critical times, with games on the line. West Virginia, Louisville, and Cincinnati readily come to mind. We don't win those games without him stepping up huge at the end of those games.

My first post since the loss and I was in Columbus this weekend...sigh. I did not expect to win this game but a freaking senior can't be making the plays KJ made on Sat. Maybe there is something to it him not being physically right. I personally feel that he was a bit heavy towards the end of the season and he wasn't very quick anyways. Not being able to turn around on that baseline without fumbling the ball out of bounds those times is unbelievable. The lack of a handle as well as lack of quickness caused it. Scoop seemed heavy too but Scoop played pretty well Sat. So did Triche. Scoop has lots of heart. I never pegged Joseph as a superstar or a first round pick and always thought he was more of a role player. Still, he was one of the most frustrating players for me to watch on SU since I started following them.

 

[orangefan13]

He belongs with the long list of well spoken respectable kids with adult attitudes that Syracuse creates. A very well spoken mature player. Hope his body lets him do the things he wants to.