Player Discussion: Kent Johnson

[CBJx614]

9 pts in 6 games.

 

[Devilsfan2326]

This guy looks agile. Turns on a dime.

 

[Doggy]

 

[MoeBartoli]

This season he’s a better player with a certainly better coach whose approach clearly sits better with KJ. Even if he’d come back in stronger like he has, I’m 99% certain he’d have not blossomed like this under Vincent.

 

[Farmboy Patty]

This season he’s a better player with a certainly better coach whose approach clearly sits better with KJ. Even if he’d come back in stronger like he has, I’m 99% certain he’d have not blossomed like this under Vincent.

 

[Doggy]

Just started reading the article...

If KJ's commentary is accurate, you have to shake your head and wonder WTF last's year's coaching staff was thinking. That said, if he had not gone through last year's struggles with that coaching staff maybe he doesn't make the same jump this past off-season. Prosperity comes out of facing adversity.

He's the bionic man: "...He’s bigger, stronger, faster and more confident..."

 

[alphafox]

Really excited to see him step up and start becoming the player we hoped he could be. He's really stepped up when there was a gaping hole on the team and is now one of the primary drivers of the team. I'm really looking forward to him continuing to grow, he feels like he might be the next captain after we trade Boone and if he can make another jump we could be looking at our best player since Johnny/Panarin.

 

[GoJackets1]

Just started reading the article...

If KJ's commentary is accurate, you have to shake your head and wonder WTF last's year's coaching staff was thinking. That said, if he had not gone through last year's struggles with that coaching staff maybe he doesn't make the same jump this past off-season. Prosperity comes out of facing adversity.

He's the bionic man: "...He’s bigger, stronger, faster and more confident..."

I get both sides to this. Frankly, Vincent was stuck between a rock and a hard place in the position he was put in last year. That being said, he's not the kind of guy that demands respect simply by virtue of who he is, so he had to create respect for himself. Unfortunately, the way he went about it was by trying to be a hard-ass coach that benched young players for simple mistakes. Obviously, that harms young creative-type players like KJ the most.

It's easy to understand that last year's staff wasn't prepared. It probably would've been better if they had created a system that the players believed in, but that didn't happen either so it was all in all a terrible job. I feel for them in a way given the situation, but I'm very glad to see that it hasn't seemed to affect any of the young players long-term.

That's obviously the biggest difference between Larsen/Vincent and Evason. The former two had to forcefully demand respect of the players. Benching KJ and healthy-scratching Marchenko being two prominent examples, which were ludicrous especially given nothing of the sort happened to veteran players who were obviously not playing up to their standard either. Meanwhile, Evason is respected by the players due to who he is, and therefore the players are allowed more freedom knowing that if they make a mistake, a learning opportunity is coming, rather than a punishment like was the case with Vincent.