Harder and less likely based on what? If this roster wins 36 games and is a play-in team, then our young core has progressed tremendously and will likely continue to get better to go along with cap space and assets for the future. That is the value. How is that a bad thing? We aren’t talking about being a play-in team because Stone signed or traded for a bunch of vets. Tank culture has gotten out of hand.
Based on the team having less talent. Progression isn’t linear. Even if we progress to 36 wins, that doesn’t mean we keep Improving 10 wins a season. I would rather have one more shot at a high pick
the 34 win Spurs best player was a 25 y/o Murray in his 6th season, and they had Keldon Johnson who had a nice year…the rest of the roster pretty much has no one worth mentioning the Spurs improved by a measly 1 win if the Rockets were to win 36 games or whatever and make the play-in, they will have done so being led by a 2nd year Jalen Green, 2nd year Sengun along with contributions from promising rookies like Eason and Jabari…Jalen Green would have to blow up in a major way for this roster to see mid-30’s in wins and even come close to a play-in the Rockets would be going from B2B worst record in the league to a play-in team in 1 year it’s not the same thing
if we progressed from worst in the league to 36 wins, then the future is just as bright, if not brighter, than being 1 of the worst teams in the league tanking yet again…people want to understate the level of play guys like Jalen Green, Sengun, Eason, Jabari, etc would have to achieve to produce 36 wins…this isn’t John Wall, Dipo, and Christian Wood or some other combo of crusty vets leading us to 36 wins, it would be our drafted young core doing so with many years of expected improvement still left to go along with cap space and trade assets
No, it isn't. In no scenarios is having less talent better than more talent. It means they progressed faster, or the competition was much weaker. In no way is that predictive of future success, or the ceiling of the team. The NBA draft, specifically for those picking top 3, is the absolute best shot at adding superstar talent to your roster, which is the foundation to build a contender. You have precious few opportunities to justify being the worst team in the league. To sacrifice that gift for some meaningless short term success is idiotic.
That's one way of looking it, but it could also be folks overachieved and won't be able to replicate that same success. I think it's best to tank another season just to give us a chance at the Wemby sweepstake over short term success. I would b happy if we made it to 36 wins, but missing out on a generational talent just for short term glory aint it. This team as is, has no chance for the ring. Sure it would feel good to make it to the playoffs, but missing out on Wemby just to get stomped in playoffs aint a good deal.
ludicrous statement if this team wins 36 games, then there is already superstar talent on the roster…hilarious that people act like tanking is the only blueprint for being a contender this young core progressing from worst in the league to a play-in team in 1 year is meaningless…ha, gimme a break
you’re basically trying to tell me that 2nd year Green, 2nd year Sengun, and rookies like Eason and Jabari will have peaked and can’t replicate what they’ve done or be even better in the future…c’mon DRF If this team won 36 games, then the young core is clearly much better than anticipated, and there is free agency and trades to continue to build up the roster into an eventual contender in the future. How are y’all gonna act like tanking is the only blueprint for contention? y’all would really be mad if Jalen Green blew up in year 2 and several other young players greatly overperformed because it would ruin another tank job…this is the current tank culture among fans
if you have 1st and 2nd year players, 2 of whom you’ve drafted top 3, overperforming to a significant degree, that’s actually a bad thing and something to be mad about in tank world
I think a lot of posters after a decade of being in the playoffs and before that rooting for a mediocre team that didn't have top young talent under the age of 22 (the Kevin Martin days) have a difficult time grasping how difficult it is for a NBa team to win when the average age of the main core group of players is under 22. If the Rockets make such a massive leap of 21 wins to 35+ wins with this group of guys, we found our future core. It's that simple. There is no fluke in a group that young for a full NBA season being that competent. Rocket fans aren't used to being at the complete bottom and acquiring top level young talent. We have been either mediocre or contenders for a long time.
I think a better way to approach this question is this: If this group of players by the half way point of the season start approaching .500 ball where we know if we continue playing them, they will knock us out of lottery pick contention, do we start sitting guys like Green and Sengun? Remember these guys are 20 freaking years old. They need all the playing and development time in the world. Do the people who want to tank really want to sit out 20 year olds to lose games? Really? If you have to sit out 20 year olds to lose games, you already have something really special.
Maybe for a team where the core's average age is 25+. But if a team where the core's average age is less than 22? Yes you can expect a increase in even more wins the following season after such a massive jump this season. Young guys adding another NBA season to their belt. Jabari Smith in his sophomore season, Tari in his sophomore season, Green and Sengun in their third year. If they win 36 games this season and we keep this core, that would mean when guys like Green and Sengun reach 26, we are looking at 60 win teams.
this team is projected to be the worst, or close to the worst, team in the league…the amount of progress someone like Jalen Green and the rest of the young core would need to have in order to be a play-in team is HUGE…Do people not realize what we’d have on our hands with presumably many more years of improvement still to come? this isn’t vets leading us to 36 wins…this isn’t a bunch of low talent role players with a great coach overachieving to be in the play-in due to hustle and hard work…this is 2nd year Green, 2nd year Sengun, rookie Eason, rookie Jabari, etc leading us there but somehow that level of progression would be seen as meaningless and idiotic because of “muh tank”…tank culture is so out of hand these days
I would just ask those people in a hypothetical situation where if this team approaches .500 ball at the all-star break, do they seriously consider sitting guys like Green and Sengun? Sitting out our salty 20 year old vets lol...
Sure, but draft picks can also bust. I'd rather take chances on a couple of 19- and 20-year olds dominating in the NBA (all-star level or better) than a draft pick that might not even be top 4.
The team is not there if the team is at the cusp of getting to the 10th seed, now that is a step you can be sure will be sufficient for a 7th seed as well. It is a matter of when though as the NBA has plenty of talents. And I doubt fans have a say in this, the players either want it or not. If they are Portland you already know the answer in advance. Play Ins are far less attractive than the real deal, it's just games to compete in and be done with.
they probably would because that is the state of tank culture these days…they would actually be mad if our 1st and 2nd year players overachieved causing the team to win many more games than anticipated if this young team made the play-in, the young core is clearly more special than even the most optimistic of fans think, but that’s a bad thing in tank world because u won’t get a 3rd top pick which is a requirement in the “how to win a championship” manual for some reason
Yup the Clippers did this for a decade before they got CP3. They went nowhere with all their high end first round picks.
there’s so many teams who got high draft pick after high draft pick and went nowhere if Jalen Green blows up in year 2 and we overachieve, I will be celebrating…it would mean we already have our superstar to build around to go along with a much better than expected young core and cap space plus trade assets…a bright young core that might catch the attention of stars seeing that such a young team led by 1st and 2nd year guys is already capable of being in the play-in
I see your point. But I don't think a talented young team winning in the mid-30s is as promising as we want. Anyway, I agree with your premise. In fact, I've been saying it since the last off season. If we are still a bottom team this season, that means our young talents aren't really that talented. Green is supposed to jump to star level. Sengun is supposed to be a baby Jokic in the making. Smith is supposed to be a super 3&D guy. Eason is supposed to the surprise for this draft. And we still have the wild card in KPJ, not to mention improved Christopher and Garuba. If they are still a bottom team, I'll be very disappointed. And we don't even know if we are going to be lucky in the lottery like the last two years. Even if we get Wemby, is his body going to hold up? Hoping a disappointing turnout of our young players in order to get a better (but not guaranteed) chance of getting a top talent isn't worth it, IMO. That said, I am okay if the team experiments with different lineups and systems and not prioritizes winning, I'm okay with it. Development is still the most important thing at this stage.
