You can say the exact same thing about Green as well. No doubt that 2 way players have the most flexibility.
I am hoping for a playmaking Scola with better D personally, which would easily put him at all-star level.
now if only we had somebody with a vision of jason kid to make a 16th pick a full time PG people find a lot of deficiencies with alpi ... but all he lacks is playing time ie a higher usage there is rarely ever a player without the warts....
I’m excited by Sengun’s potential. Honestly I can’t wait to see the jump he makes from this year to next. I predict we’ll see him on another level next season. If he can improve his outside shooting and refine his defense he will be on his way to being a special player. but I just can’t understand why he sees so little minutes. It was fun watching him play so well the other night against Phoenix. Then to see so few minutes last night was a real headscratcher
You could but people would roll their eyes and laugh at you - as they should. There's lots of players like Green. Perimeter wing scorer is an archetype. Some are better at shooting, some at driving, some at both. Conversely theres very few undersized C playmakers who can't defend. Bam Adbayo and Draymond are undersized and handle the ball a lot but they're DPOY caliber, 5 position defenders. Jokic isn't super quick bit hes a traditional inside big whose big enough to provide some anchorage. That's really the point people like @Clutch and , @vator are making - doesn't have anything to do with Green.
Long post warning… Yes, 2 way players give you tremendous flexibility because they can do everything and most guys aren’t really 2 way. They excel on one end of the court more than the other and aren’t a liability at the other. Green will probably fall into that category. End up being a good offensive player while trying not to be a liability on defense. This is fine. To some extent, “fit”’ in general is a huge part of roster construction for every team. Name all the all star guards in the past decade that are also elite defenders. JG at this point is just going to have to fall in line with whatever the team is doing and figure it out. His effort and improvement make me think that will happen. A large part of defense is effort. He has the effort, he needs to watch film and get more experience and understanding of what NBA offenses are trying to do to him. So for me this isn’t exactly the same. I’m saying can Sengun be so good that you scrap your plan and build your roster offensively and defensively around what he does? Can he be the hub? For example James Harden. He was so good and had such an impact on winning that they would have been fools not to go to a defensive scheme that allowed him to switch and guard in the post at times instead of fighting over screens and chasing other guards around. Then offensively, we know each year all we ever searched for was 3 and D players because those guys complimented Harden best. Sengun doesn’t need all this to be a good player, I’m saying he needs this level of commitment in order to truly max out his potential and be a star because he does thrive with the ball in his hands much like a poor man’s Jokic, he is not yet a floor spacer although I think one day he will be, and he is pretty awful guarding on the perimeter so switching can’t be your primary defense if he’s your starting center. I think the biggest challenge will be finding a starting big that he can thrive with. Does he need a Chet Holmgren or Jabari Parker archetype or can he succeed with a guy like Paola Banchero? Theoretically there should be more of a fit with Wood than we’ve seen at least offensively, but it looks like a coaching issue on that end. I don’t know. Hypothetically speaking, how would you build around Sengun?
I don't know if that's likely but i wouldn't be surprised if he became a much better outside shooter.
Has this been shared already? Apologies if so. It's fun watching Dream and the kid get to work. I think this workout was a couple of weeks ago and I already see Sengun implementing some of the quick spins and shooting better. Am I biased? HELL yes! Sengun has incredible potential.
imagine saying "hey i know you just came off a career night and took the best team in the league to the wire but i gotta bench you for christian wood".... hope ALP is mentally strong because we are doing everything in our power to crush his confidence.
Excellent post. Sengun has the potential to be a Jokic-like type of player--if he can develop an elite midrange shot and a decent 3pt shot. But he is clearly not there. And as mentioned hopefully he will grow bigger physically. That will require the whole team building to revolve around maximizing him. That sounds like a gamble. But I am not worried about it. If he is that good, he will emerge (like Jokic and Giannis) after two or three years. But WHEN we are committed to him, we will need a whole new set of players and coaching staff. In a big-initiated offense you can't just give him the ball and surround him some shooters (like Harden). You need schemes to utilize his skills.
I can name all the past All Star guards until the cows come home but I guarantee you that Jalen Green is nowhere on those lists. We hope that he can be on that list some day but comparing him to an All Star guard now is preposterous. Between now and then, Green should doing his damndest to become a legit 2 way player, All Star guard and league leading scorer is not a guarantee. And I'd put as many true 3-D players with elite wingspan and elite perimeter shooting around Sengun, if rebuilding team around him. And these long 3-D players need to play with energy and unselfishness, cutting and screening non stop. This is why Sengun and Green are not the best fit right now. Neither are elite defensively or elite shooters. Both struggle with ball handling and both need ball to be successful. Hell, both are undersized and lack length for their position as well.
Olajuwon still moves like a ballet dancing panther. Combines grace with power and control. He is amazing.
I'm confused by your level of negativity lately. I don't even know why you're saying you can name all-star guards, but Jalen is nowhere on those lists. I'm genuinely confused by that statement. I thought we were talking about team building. Lots of all-star guards aren't 2-way players and teams build around them just fine. Never said Green was himself an all-star.
What I'm saying is that Green is doing the right thing in continuing to concentrate on improving his defense. Green is NOT an All Star guard and we should not act like he will be one guaranteed. Building around Sengun will require as many long 2 way players as possible. But neither Sengun or Green have the length considered elite for their respective positions. And neither are elite 3P shooters or defenders. Green is not the best fit with Sengun, that is simply my opinion which you asked for. And Sengun would be best in drop coverage or zone defense so he never leaves the paint. Sengun struggles in switch everything because his strength is not perimeter defense. Sengun is also not an elite rim protector so will need an elite rim protector or 2 around him. This is not Paolo Banchero. Another player who is an offense first player like Green and Sengun. And we all know that Banchero is tall but does not have elite length, lateral agility or effort on defense. Banchero is also ball dominant just like Green and Sengun.
what ?! i thought sengun is flat footed and is not athletic? how many times people will fall for the athleticism? LUKA AND HARDEN 2 FATTYS one of the best to ever lace it....
The thing is I was and have never said Green was an all-star. In fact, you brought Green into the discussion and I just pointed out that teams build around guards all the time that excel on one end of the floor. I just want to talk about Sengun in this thread honestly. I was thinking he'd be harder to build around if you really want to fully maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses because of the position he plays. He plays a position where you really need a good defensive anchor and if he can't be that, he really needs to be on the floor with somebody who can be that anchor while also being able not to have to clog the paint offensively. There just aren't a lot of guys available that fit that description. A PF/C that is athletic, an elite defender, and also has a diverse offensive game with range out to the 3 point line. If we reach a crossroads where Sengun proves to be the best option to build around and Green doesn't fit with him, then Green can go. I'm not there yet. It's too early to be worried about that right now as we are so far away from actually contending, but eventually, and maybe as soon as this draft, they will need to start putting a plan together of what they're trying to build and bring players in that fit with that plan. I'm not emotionally invested in any of these guys over the other. They haven't been here long enough or proven themselves enough on the court. You know how I felt about KPJ in regards to being the PG of the future on this team, but I've been rooting for him through his recent successes. If Nix and KPJ prove to be the backcourt at the end of the day or whoever else, I just care about the Rockets winning.
