The problem is you need to consider shot value, difficulty of shot, and percentage a certain player will make said shot. I.E., during Kyrie’s last few years in Cleveland, he shot a ridiculously high enough percentage on difficult shots to outweigh the negatives.
But if the best NBA shooter makes 70% of open shots at the free throw line then one needs to ask what he makes from the three point line and at the rim.
Most players who are elite in the midrange create substantially more value from three and under the rim. When NBA defenses worried about the midrange, then you still wanted these elite shooters to score from the midrange, to give them more room at other parts of the court.
The problem now is that there are only a few players who bend defenses enough in the midrange to warrant those shots (Kyrie, prime Chris Paul, Durant, etc). There are a few others who would be borderline worthless without the midrange (DeRozan is the key player that comes to mind).
The problem a lot of us had with KPJ when the Cavs drafted him is that his limited shot profile required miraculously becoming a better shooter, becoming a facilitator, or developing a set of moves to constantly penetrate. If he couldn’t do two or all of these things then he - more than likely - could not become a positive offensive contributor.
With that said, he has exceeded my expectations, especially as a playmaker and rebounded. But the lack of a three-point shot and repertoire of moves to enable easy penetration are still problems.
