they gave him minutes, helped the team at times, hurt them at other times. He had a PER of 12, TS% 49%. This year, PER is 20 TS% of 59%.
You're talking about 2 completely different players - one, a guy that mostly hurts you when he's on the floor, the other a top 10 player in the league. You mentioned him as a leader, sure, but it's more than that - it's like a huge splash in free agency.