I would do that (preferably in 2025 or later, not this draft class). I also wouldn't mind sending him out in a trade for a combo guard who can make 3Pers.
One of the reasons some of us were against Brooks' signing was that it would reduce Tari's minutes. Well, Tari couldn't play much because of injury. But Amen could also fill Brooks' spot. The only thing about playing Amen at the 3 is that we lose some outside shooting. If Tari comes back, they can be that wing rotation. And don't forget Cam is also a wing.
it's crazy how good he already is and how much he could improve upon. Working on his handles this off-season has to be my #1 priority, yes even more than shooting. If he can get a few crossovers under his belt, the pressure he will force at the rim is enormous. There isn't athlete in the entire world that can stay with him athletically 1v1.
Hmm. Actually could make some sense depending on how all-in the Lakers want to go for LeBron's career epilogue. I would try to do it as a pick swap or something though--is Reaves really worth that much more than Dillon on their respective contracts?
Maybe not but I like Reaves for us a lot. Eason is better than Brooks IMO. Sengun/Adams/Jock Smith/Eason Amen/Cam Green/Reeves FVV/Amen
Reaves would be a good sniper off the bench, something Bullock is supposed to be. But if we can get Sheppard from the draft, we don't really need him. I agree Eason is better than Brooks. I am a bit worried about his health though.
The hope is that Amen can be a PG. However, him and Jalen Green have incredible natural synergy even at this point in time. Looking at the last 15 games, for 2 man line-ups with at least 200 minutes played, him and Jalen Green are by far the most effective. If Amen can be a PG, they would be an absolutely lethal backcourt.
He has arguably been the second best player on the Rockets since Sengun went down. As a rookie that was injured in training camp and early in the regular season.
For the two previous seasons, I was screaming for a real PG. Now, I can see a future without one. The key things a PG does is monitor the game, settle down a team when they need it, and make the right play consistently. We may have that in Amen without him ever quite looking like our image of a true PG. If Green has really taken the leap we hope he has, we may have it a bit in him. We do have it some in our center. Add in Jabari who is not going to go off-kilter too much and you have four guys who can share some of that PG game management/tempo responsibility and can play smart basketball when FVV is not on the floor or has moved on in a couple of years. In their second run, the Bulls never had a true PG and started Ron Harper next to Jordan in the backcourt. The dynamic with Amen and Jalen would obviously be different, but there is a high-functioning precedent there. The big drawback against a shared PG role is that there's nobody to guard the ultra-quick small PGs, but Amen and Green are so ridiculously fast and quick, that it might work. Let's hope Green has found the consistency switch and Amen shores up his weaknesses. If so, it will be a fun ride and change how we think about basketball, which all great teams force you to do.
Reeves isn't a difference maker so why would we trade for him and lose the 9th pick for nothing? Imagine dumping Brooks and a top 10 lotto pick so you can slightly upgrade the backup sg slot? Lol. Cam Whitmore can be the backup SG and with Tari and Brooks we have 48 mins of elite defense at the SF slot. In case somebody goes down it'd be nice not to be paper thin on the roster as well. Brooks is a difference maker on this team he is the enforcer and some the young kids know has their back. On the court he has been working on his 3s and also can do a little bit of drive and dish. And he is durable, something we need with Tari's health seemingly up in the air.
Loved your whole post, but this line surprised me. It might work? It would definitely work defensively. Those guys are as fast or faster than any point guard in the league. There aren't but four or five guys in the entire league that might be on their level. Ja, De'Aaron Fox, Zach Lavine, Tyrese Maxey and Ausur Thompson. Am I missing anyone? I guess Donovan Mitchell is pretty fast? Ja and Fox are the only guys that I think could possibly be a hair faster than them. Lucky for us, they're both smaller than our guys. So even if they are faster, and it's close enough that it's arguable, our guys are so long and athletic they ought to be able to hang with them. p.s. Russell Westbrook used to be that fast, I don't think he's there anymore (though he's still shockingly quick for his age and is probably still top 10-15 in the league in that regard).
Amen can keep up with ultra quick pgs, he is probably just as fast or faster than guys like Morant or Fox because he is 6'7 and has long legs. That's the biggest reason you can play him at Pg he can keep up with everyone. Adams/Jabari/Tari/Brooks/Amen -> I think this 5 man lineup next year can be among the best defensive lineups in the history of the NBA.
Like I said, I think giving up the BK pick is too much. I would be in favor of acquiring Reaves though. Really any young combo guard who can shoot makes sense for us right now. As an insurance policy in case Jalen's breakout turns out to be a mirage, as depth in case him or Fred get injured, and just because we need another shooter. I don't see Cam as a shooting guard. He's a small forward. You can't run the offense through him the way you can with Fred, Jalen, or Amen. That means we have 3-4 guys needing minutes at small forward next season. Dillon has to go, IMO, and it makes the most sense to trade him for a player like Reaves (or Cason Wallace, or a number of other young combo guards around the league).
He doesn't need a jump shot, but it would significantly raise his ceiling if he has a decent shot. Either him or Sengun needs to have a decent shot to keep the defense honest if they are going to be sharing the floor together.
I'll be the first to admit he's been better than I expected, but something's gotta give when Tari comes back. Too many guys competing for minutes. If Tari, Amen, and Cam aren't already better players than Dillon they will be very soon.
