Anonymous
Years ago
He is not great at one thing but very good at everything. Terrific defender, rebounder, low post scorer and solid shooting touch. Perth seriously got lucky by getting him
AD
Years ago
I can't believe somebody said he was a step down from Knight.
Different style of player, probably wouldn't want him spending too much time at the 5 in this league, but more mobile with a more reliable outside shot.
J
Years ago
Both are invaluable to the way perth plays. Lets wait for prime kay before judging.
D2.0
Years ago
People have definitely underrated the improvements to our squad this season, Kay being the major one. Does it all, at both end, and plays big minutes.
You are all forgetting how good Matt Knight was before injuries.
Not to discredit Knight one bit, but the league is much much different now to 5 years ago. It is much better
WookieE
Years ago
One player doesn't have to be better than another to make that player awesome... Perth hadn't seen peak Knight in quite some time, so I'm actually surprised that there was some surprise that Kay would be this good or valuable to Perth as some of us were saying that he'd be one of the best off season signings heading into this season... Might not average the best numbers, but him and Norton were both amazing signings and like some commentators were saying yesterday, will pay off long term as once you're a quality local player in that Wildcats system, the likelihood of leaving is pretty much zero...
paul
Years ago
Knight was an absolute stud in his prime, no question, one of the better two-way bigs the league has had. But at 26 Kay is still coming into his prime and if he continues on his current trajectory will be remembered as a stud too. He does pretty much everything on the court, he just needs to improve that outside shot a little bit and he will be a superb all-around player.
AngusH
Years ago
Not sure he's underrated, I think he's just taken a big step forward this year. Last year I thought he was overrated if anything and too prone to games where he didn't show up, but so far that hasn't been a problem in Perth.
Hogwash
Years ago
People don't have to necessarily compare him to Knight or Norton to Martin for that matter. They aren't the same but bring quality skill sets in their own rights.
Hope they stay long term in Perth to form part of a new core.
Can already see Norton being a future leader at the club.
LC
Years ago
Definitely underrated.
Nick Kay takes pride in the Wildcats jungle
"My experience in Perth so far has been really enjoyable. Obviously, there is a lot of talent on the team, and it is great to be able to work together to find ways to exploit it all, and use everybody in the best possible way."
Working under Mathew Nielson seems to make 4/5 men grow an extra leg.
Violet Crumble
Years ago
Kay has come a long way and all the promise he showed early on seems to be coming out. He seems like the archetypal 4 in the modern NBL. Still not sold on him at international level, but that's another thing entirely.
Damn Perth, they just seem to have the whole culture/development thing down, and can pretty much just plug new players into the system without missing a beat.
D2.0
Years ago
Regarding any comparison to Knight.
At his best, Knight was probably the best big man in the league. He could hold down the 5 spot, despite being more a 4/5. In recent seasons he played more of a PF role, alongside Jervis/Jawai/McKay/Brandt. He was great, but in the end I think we were all just happy to see him put his health first.
I think its more a question of people not seeing Kay as an upgrade over Knight from last year. We only got a handful of games, with reduced minutes, and cringed everytime a arm went near his head.
"He does pretty much everything on the court, he just needs to improve that outside shot a little bit and he will be a superb all-around player."
Paul, I think he is an accurate shooter but I feel he needs a lot of time to get his jumpshot off. Improving the mechanics so that he can catch and shoot more quickly will be important.
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