This Summer Kirilenko Should Work On His Jumper

As you probably already know, Andrei Kirilenko has struggled all season long. His struggles climaxed in a tearful breakdown following game 1 of their series against the Houston Rockets.

The problem for Kirilenko is that the emergence of Carlos Boozer and Utah's pick and roll game has caused him to be relegated to a fourth option. Kirilenko's current offensive skill set is most suited for him to play power forward. But with Boozer playing at an All-Star level, Kirilenko is now playing most of his minutes at the Small Forward spot.

In last night's game 6, AK-47 got a little bit of his swag back, by contributing with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 5 blocks. Kirilenko has always been able to contribute doing the little things. What he's struggled with most is his scoring. Kirlenko is used to attacking from the box and the baseline, but now that he's playing small forward he's going to have to learn how to hit a jump shot. In game 6 he was able to score mainly because he was able to hit his jumper.

If Kirilenko wants to continue to contribute offensively, he has to realize what his role is. He's not going to be a first option player, so he has to develop his offensive game to support his role. I see him becoming a Shawn Marion type for the Jazz. A player that has the skills to be featured player, but because of the roster he plays on his relegated to a fourth option on offense. Marion has thrived because he has learned how to make a contribution offensively. He's developed a pretty good three point shot and become one of the best offensive rebounders in the game. If Andrei can get in the gym and come back with a consistent jump shot, I think he'll find that even without Jerry Sloan calling his number, he still can be an All-Star caliber player.