I think there's a different between (1) criticizing (even disliking) a player when he plays bad, and (2) being absolutely certain that he is good for nothing and just want to dump him for a bag of chips. I don't know which one is you. But plenty of people belong to #2 just a few weeks ago.
I'll wait tell we start beating good healthy teams. I said it before he went off and Sengun got injured that this month looked liked the easiest all year and that we might be able catch up to the play in.
Man, this is the Jalen that we all had hoped for at the start of this season, given all the changes with the Rockets in the offseason, Ime coming in, bringing in good vets, and all the summer/Team USA hype that Jalen had. Expectations were probably a bit high, but he was the #2 pick after all and going into his all-important 3rd season. Then Sengun started off bonkers and the team was playing well except for Jalen... and for 60 games he really was playing like ass. I was never that critical of Jalen before this season, but this being his 3rd season, and with him looking firmly like he was regressing... I wasn't a happy camper for sure. Even the most ardent Jalen fans have to admit that Jalen was playing like trash. We all watched the games... This turnaround from Jalen really came out of nowhere and is a big credit to him for sticking with it. The past 2 seasons he had a mini-breakout post All-star break, but not like this. He really is playing hard on both ends, and he's being ultra aggressive, which we need from a no.1 type scorer. The way he is getting downhill and attacking the basket is something to behold right now, and you can just tell something has clicked and he's seeing the game in a different way now. I apologize to Jalen for doubting you and realize I still should have given you more slack given that you're just 22 yrs old. May this be the start of something even greater. Go Rockets!
I was definitely in camp 2 and just hoping for a late 1st rd pick or something for Jalen in the offseason. Didn't see a reason to play him the rest of the season if he was going to continue shooting 30-something % from the field and 20% from 3 with effort that just comes and goes on both ends. Glad that I was wrong (also glad that Sean Marks and the Nets were wrong!)
We’ll see if you’re wrong, hopefully you are. He’s been completely awful for over 2.5 seasons, and went on a hot streak. Remember when brooks was decent and people were screaming about how we were all wrong? Well, we weren’t wrong. Hopefully jalen is for real though, would be incredible for our long term prospects
keep moving the bar. Do you also want to wait until WE are healthy, or does winning despite missing your starting center, best bench scorer, and best all around defender not count for you?
Yea, still cautiously optimistic in a way... but just watching Jalen play tonight in a game that probably was the most meaningful game the Rockets have played in the past 3 years... and on the road... the way he was attacking the defense, just being really aggressive on both ends... you can just tell something is clicking for him in a way that was completely different from the past season mini-breakouts. The past 2 seasons when Jalen had his hot streaks, it came in losing efforts in games that were largely already decided before the halftime buzzer. Like you said, hopefully I was wrong on Jalen and this is the Jalen that we'll see moving forward. I was going to wait for the GSW game, but Jalen really showed something tonight. Props to him.
Agreed. Also not trying to single you specifically out for “being wrong”. I had completely written him off as well basically, so I would also like to be wrong haha
Some advice to the haters.... To the haters...just admit you were wrong and move on. A time ago, I thought Harden would be mid at best when we got him, Joe Johnson, overpaid, etc. Right away I admitted I was wrong on that one, never had to deal with that. While Harden's tenure definitely disappointed in the end he was a lot better than I expected. Just admit you got this one wrong and move on, no one is 100% right on everything guys. I had Mobley over Green too (and I think that's looking to be wrong) and I liked Jabari over Chet/Paolo (even though we didn't have a choice) and obviously right now it looks like I was wrong on that. I admit my faith in Green was at an all time low before this month, even though I was never for trading him at the deadline and still thought that I would only trade him for a really good player but that was more because you don't trade a 22 yr old #2 pick when his value is at his lowest (as we see now) but this stint has obviously infused a lot of hope. We see what he can be at least when he's focused and on his game. Point is. Just admit you were wrong and move on.
For 2 1/2 years, I didn't give up on Jalen...had extremely high hopes for him, thought he would lead the league in scoring one day...finally, just before this trade deadline, I was ready to give up, and I posted it. To be fair, he deserved the criticism he was getting - he was objectively dragging the team down. But that has changed. I am glad he is proving me wrong. He still needs to keep this up, be consistent, but I feel like in this stretch (both with and without Alpi), his post-ASB run is different from the first two seasons. He is actually fighting on defense, and really taking over and contributing to winning. Not just empty stats. The counting stats and the advanced stats prove the eye test. He has been amazing. For the record, I feel like it has next to nothing to do with Alpi being out. I feel like his recent surge has more to do with him being benched by Ime and called out by "Rockets Twitter". Something lit a fire under his ass, and he is responding, in a HUGE way. If he can keep this up, I feel like we have two max players, in Alpi and him. Add Tari, Amen, Bari, Cam, Steven Adams and, ideally, Reed Sheppard...and of course our veteran leaders Fred and Dillon...I expect us to win 50 games next season and be a contender. Amazing times to be a Rockets fan. I just hope that everyone can stop pitting Jalen and Alpi against each other. They can and want to play together.
That's a good point but he has had all year with Sengun and he has performed poorly for the majority of it. So yes I will wait for him to start beating good teams and if that happens then I'd have no choice but to declare him the future of the franchise maybe even above Sengun...someone inevitably will have to take a back seat. I mean every damn time I want to give him another shot for pulling out one or three good games, he returns to crap. So it'll take more than a month of playing crap teams to convince me. But hey, you do you. Go Rockets
I got the paper and i want to sign it but i will not because this might be a phase. He'll become a dad and this alone might temporarily turn anyone into a superstar. I want Draya to get he baby out first. Then i want Jalen to play with him, force him taste his first lemon. have sleepless nights. I want baby to **** on face while he's changing his diapers. Basically i want Jalen to be a dad first then when he comes back we will is whether that experience suffocated him or made him more mature. If he still looks like the Jalen we've been watching since the beginning of march then i will not only sign the paper i will make my pp Jalen and the baby. Maybe Jalen, Baby and Alpy if they three ever take a photo together. I'm a born skeptic though i don't want you to understand me.
If Jalen keeps this up and continues into next year we are going to very scary in a couple of Years. This Jalen and Sengun can be title contenders IMHO. Let's hope he keeps this up. I do not know why but I actually have faith that he will.
F* an apology from anyone! The kid played like absolute Dog Sh*t for 3/4 of the season. I'm still waiting to see if his game can translate into a playoff situation. Also want to see if he can do this a full season so we are playing for play off positioning instead of "the play-in". At this point I wouldn't trade him for a bag of chips but a sandwich and a bag of chips.
Like you have said, I really wish people would stop trying to force narratives and say this is now Jalen's team, and in the process, s*** on Alpi for absolutely no reason. Alpi is widely recognized by literally everyone in NBA circles as one of the best young players and a franchise cornerstone. Alpi is not someone who is going to take away from Jalen's game - Alpi is more of a force multiplier who will only make things easier for Jalen. And with Jalen playing the way he is right now, full of confidence, he would also make things so much easier for Alpi. Is Jalen pushing his way to franchise cornerstone status? The way he is going right now, no doubt about it. Does it mean we have to get rid of either Jalen or Alpi for them to succeed? Hell no. You need at least 2-3 cornerstones to start thinking about contending. Who is to say that Ime and his staff can't build an offensive and defensive scheme that can feature both of them? Kobe and Shaq made it work, despite the fact that they didn't like each other and had clashing styles. Alpi and Jalen actually get along... no reason why they can't be featured together as a 1a/1b. In a way, Alpi going down may have been a blessing in disguise for this franchise, because it forced the team to feature Jalen out of necessity. And Jalen has stepped up tremendously. The efficiency has been awesome, but just really love how aggressive he is now both offensively and defensively. He's a difference maker. Now we clearly see what the Rockets can have with Jalen and just hope he can continue this from here on out.
If he was completely awful for 2.5 seasons, then this "hot streak" would be embraced to be a real turnaround. The reason why people still are cautious is that he had such hot streak in the later part of each of the previous two seasons. Those two hot streaks can be taken in two ways. One, he's fool's gold even when he plays well. Or two, he has been showing signs that he has the stuff that can make him a star, and we just don't know if he will ever put it together. When talked about Jalen's "talent" some people would say, "What talent? He'd better be prepared to play in China."
