I’ve been a bit of a KAT hater since our playoff lose to Memphis ANT’s rookie year. But this year, I’m at peace.

KAT was a problem last year. And the year before. And before. This year really isn’t different as far as his game goes. The only difference is he is no longer our teams identity. In years past when KAT would get into foul trouble or miss shots and let his emotions bleed out all over the court, it affected all our player’s attitudes. This year, it feels more like when KAT has his little tantrums and pouting seminars, the team is able to detach his energy from the team’s collective energy in a way they never could. I believe this mostly has to do with ANT and his maturity and leadership of the team, but I also think that the group of guys we have around them (Conley, Anderson, Gobert, NAW, Milly) are professionals of the highest level and have taught our young guys how to play team ball while also just controlling what you can control.

So now, KAT is like a power boost for our team. If he has a game like he did against the Pelicans, fantastic. But if he has a game like he did against Boston, it no longer holds back the whole team like we saw.

It’s now a luxury to have KAT, not a necessity. The team’s ceiling this year is infinite opposed to this teams ceiling being KAT’s emotional intelligence in years past.