Detroit Pistons: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Elevating His Game
Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is elevating his game through the month of December.
Detroit Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is evolving into a great two-way player. The month of December has been nice to him, checking the list off twice with his offense and defense.
Caldwell-Pope, 22, was selected No. 8 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Pistons. He has steadily improved in each of his three seasons. He appears to be making another jump in his game in December.
| Season | Age | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 20 | 80 | 41 | 19.8 | 2.3 | 5.8 | .396 | 0.7 | 2.3 | .319 | 0.6 | 0.8 | .770 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 5.9 |
| 2014-15 | 21 | 82 | 82 | 31.5 | 4.8 | 11.9 | .401 | 1.9 | 5.4 | .345 | 1.3 | 1.9 | .696 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 12.7 |
| 2015-16 | 22 | 28 | 28 | 37.9 | 5.1 | 12.6 | .408 | 1.4 | 4.8 | .301 | 2.5 | 3.1 | .805 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 14.2 |
| Career | 190 | 151 | 27.5 | 3.8 | 9.4 | .401 | 1.3 | 4.0 | .331 | 1.2 | 1.6 | .742 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 10.1 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/20/2015.
KCP has seen a spike in his numbers, but his energy and confidence have also seen a boost. Where Caldwell-Pope has really stepped up is on the offensive side of the court. His offensive rating in November was 102, and in December it has spiked to 116. Take a further look at the offensive splits between the months of November and December for Caldwell-Pope:
November: 12.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 39.1 FG%
December: 16.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.6 APG, 43.9 FG%
Caldwell-Pope has really stepped up his offensive game. He is shooting a higher percentage from the field and has been getting better looks. KCP has done a good job of creating shots for himself, both on and off the ball.
Not only has Caldwell-Pope been creating better looks for himself, he’s also been distributing the ball at a higher rate. His assists per game have gone up by nearly an assist per game.
The Pistons have done a good job at creating offense by generating turnovers. Getting out in transition is a strength for Detroit, and especially for KCP. Caldwell-Pope is one of the fastest players in the NBA, which helps him run in transition and get easy looks at the basket.
Love the competitive spirit of Pistons Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on the defensive end. Has length and good foot speed.
— Dwight Walton 🇨🇦 (@Bballinsider) November 10, 2015
Quite remarkably, KCP has increased his total offensive win shares upon last season already. Through 28 games this season, he has 1.3 offensive win shares. In 82 games during the 2014-15 season, KCP had a total of 1.1 offensive win shares. His number of offensive win shares is projected to finish at 3.9 for this season.
More from Detroit Pistons
- NBA Trades: Spurs can add a recent lottery pick in this deal with Pistons
- Detroit Pistons draft odds: What are the chances of landing the #1 pick?
- Were the Golden State Warriors right to give up on James Wiseman?
- Ranking the top 18 shooters available on NBA trade market
- Jalen Duren has all the tools to be a star for the Detroit Pistons
One area for improvement in his offensive game is from behind the three-point line. KC3, as he is commonly nicknamed, is only making 30.1 percent of his three-point attempts this season. His career high came during the 2014-15 season when he made 34.5 percent of his deep attempts.
According to Sports Reference’s college basketball page for KCP, he shot 37.9 percent from three-point land while at the University of Georgia. There is room for improvement in his offensive game going forward.
Caldwell-Pope has been great on defense too. He’s been regarded as the best to defend reigning MVP Stephen Curry this season. He held Curry to 7-of-18 shooting and a season-low 22 points, at that point of the season, and his third worst scoring performance of the season.
Head coach Stan Van Gundy has trusted Caldwell-Pope to guard each team’s best scorer. KCP has already matched up against Damian Lillard, James Harden, Paul George and Jimmy Butler. His Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM) rating has increased since last season. During 2014-15, KCP had a DBPM of -1.0. This season he has increased his DBPM is already up to 1.0.
Next: Every NBA Team's Star Wars Counterpart
Caldwell-Pope has taken a leap this season as an overall player. Defensively, he has definitely taken a leap. He has really improved his offensive game as well. With a slightly easier schedule during the month of December, KCP has taken full advantage to show he has improved as a player.