Yeah and I keep thinking about how the moment we got the #3 pick everyone almost automatically was like trade the pick trade the pick etc etc. and I was just thinking.. hold your horses folks. Everyone needs to keep in mind that in the Late Winter months the Rockets (the team with apparently so much talent that they cannot dare to bring in another draft pick) were rolling out two rookies at 35+ min a game and one of those rookies who was drafted to be a PG was playing a lot of the minutes at the dunker (4/5) spot and having to play a 65 year old 6’8” Jeff Green at center for much of the bench play. With the lottery, it’s one of those rare occasions where you do have the ability to really get that difference maker size. Hell even Jabari as thin as he is, still has elite size in his frame and athleticism even in year 2, was already a starting center due to injuries etc. Size does matter and not just technically tall veterans that you roster and never intend on playing because you value athleticism to switch on D, and play with pace on O. That real versatile, athleticism usually is only attainable at the top of the draft and if you are trading for a veteran version of that, you better be willing to trade away the farm to get those guys and blow up your cap. Don’t believe me… wait to see what Jabari Smith is offered in free agency a couple years from now. Use the draft to get REAL usable size.
Joker is wide but he is not really that tall, he is just a real basketball savant. Also if Lebron James were 10 years younger, the series would be no doubtedly more competitive.
Yes Lebron and AD while not the tallest guys in the league had elite athleticism and length that you can only typically get at the top of the draft. They are just getting old and Lebron especially is nearly 40 years old. It’s insane he’s even able to still play full court much less guard guys like Jokic at any level. Even a much lesser player in Aaron Gordon, while not the tallest guy in the league, still has that top of the draft level of length and athleticism that makes him vital to what the Nuggets do. Needless to say… the Rockets should use the #3 pick to swing for the fences with that talent that should be there just not at the freakish levels that you’d see in a Lebron, Wemby type of draft but there will still be Aaron Gordon types regardless at the very least that you cannot acquire elsewhere unless you want to unload a max contract.
Lebron probably did not start it but he surely was a defining character in all that positionless Basketball bc dude could play and guard all 5 Positions in his Prime. As you laid out still able to in limited situations. I want to be in LBJ's skin for couple days just to test out his cryo chamber or the newest sports tech.
these playoffs are showing us that shooting matters defense switchability matters half court execution matters efficient playmaking and ball movement matters length matters most of all basketball iq and grit matters
Defense wins playoff games. Bet Ime has been watching the Wolves series. Hope our players are as well.
Brains over just athleticsm win the game. Watching teams like Denver and Dallas and hell even Boston.. it's just amazing how those teams don't have the most athletic specimen of a superstar but have the craftiest and smartest.
The 2nd, 3rd and 4th Round are showing us: The Modern NBA Playoffs are an entirely different beast than the regular season. The Indy Pacers are not the most talented team but they sure are gritty and lucky. The INST showed it. I mean the 10th Best Defense is a good start but it really says nothing until you are constantly battling in it.
The only thing these playoffs are showing... like most playoffs... is TALENT matters. Jokic plays with zero all-stars. Like... every. Minnesota has 3 all stars. (not all this year but in recent years). Minny's players 2 and 3 were better. Minny's role players ultimately ended up being better. Minny has a better bench. Just pure quality of the players themselves. Rockets need more top tier talent, better players 2/3, and better role players. They currently have only one player remotely close to top tier, and one very very good role player. That's it. That they got 41 wins out of that is super impressive. MASSIVE leaps need via internal development to ACTUALLY compete for a championship The Pacers clearly had more talent than the Knicks (and Bucks given injury). Beyond top talent - Halliburton - they just have endless really really good role players that keep coming out you. For all the talk of "the Rockets should build like team x,y or z" at the moment they are closest to the Pacers really. A large number of likely really good players but not a lot of legit top tier talent. And the Pacers traded for a semi-all-star, and had to rely on injury luck, to get to this point.
Depth, resilience and finding the extra scorers/difference makers are extremely important. That’s what I see.
People need to stop looking at what these playoffs are showing us. You can win in several ways. Matchups matter. Momentum matters. Luck matters. Overall talent level matters. You don't need a big center to win - you don't need two ball dominant guards to win. You just have to have a team, that makes sense, has a great talent level and matches up well with your opponent - that has preferably some kind of momentum. You can do that by going small, you can do it by going big, you can do it by going fast and you can do that by going methodical. You just need the right players for that approach. So stop looking at what these playoffs show us. Let's look at our team and our options and just do, what makes the most sense for us, without chasing some kind of success-model that worked this year.
In the EC Indy is but compared to WC top tiers, they are not. 47-35 is just not a good enough record. The Rockets in the West could get to 46 Wins with a healthy Tari and more shooters.
