And that is where we just have a difference of opinion in terms of Sengun's talent, and potentially the talent of KPJ. If we land Scoot in this coming draft, or If KPJ makes a major leap, then I might reconsider. For now, I believe in Sengun's potential, and the potential of a Princeton-Esque offense to maximize the strengths of the team. Huge fan of getting KPJ off the ball to shoot 10 threes a game, too. Our speed as cutters would be a nightmare to defend.
True. Should we copy them? How has copy-cat GM-ing gone in the past? Can an elite defense be made with Tari-Jabari-Sengun as your front line? I think so...
The cutting around Sengun wouldn’t be as great as you think. Teams can sag off to protect the paint bc Sengun can’t shoot! That’s why jokic is so deadly, you have to play up close bc of his shooting
I think Sengun would abuse defenders attempting to sag off on him when he has the ball. Think about Draymond's jumper for a second. I agree though, Sengun definitely needs to keep improving his jumper.
That crap he does isn’t gonna fly with some players. Dedmon straight manhandled him. Imagine if bam was playing
It is one game. Sengun manhandled some peeps himself last year. He also just turned 20. What was he, the 3rd best isolation post player in the NBA last year? One game does not a career make. What happens when teams sag off of Draymond Green? Does he shoot his jumper?
He also wasn’t a starter last season. It’s not just one game I’m judging him on, I’ve had these exact concerns since last season
Sengun is simply not good enough. You all will soon realize it. The best center on the roster right now is Bruno.
If Sengun does struggle like this for duration of the season 80% will be on him and the rest of % will be on the coaches, which goes for all players across the board
We got AshleyEm stating, with Maj21 signing on, that the best C on the roster is Bruno Fernando. Let’s see.
I’d just like to see him used as the main hub of the offense before we write him off. As others have pointed out he has a ton of weaknesses, and his only chance at being effective is to play to his strengths. Take advantage of his ability to iso in the post, and his ability to find cutters, find spot up shooters, or just “make the right play” in general. In short spurts (against backups) it worked very well last year when he was allowed to do it. Our offense was extremely productive when run through Sengun, according to my eye test and also the numbers back it up. So let’s crank that usage up and give it a shot. If it doesn’t work then we’ll obviously have to move on but I hate watching him out there like he was tonight. Tonight they had him playing like a traditional min contract center. Protect the rim, grab rebounds, hover around the paint, then on offense he was a complete afterthought, never had any plays called for him or run through him, just set a couple screens and maybe get some offensive rebounds and putbacks if they are available. If they’re going to throw him out there and use him like that you might as well not play him at all. He’s not even an nba level player in that role.
[ Go back and rewatch the first period, he actually was involved quite a bit early on in the high post catch and assorted pick and rolls. He didn't make anything happen because they sagged off him and packed the paint (as yhe Heat do) and because the defender ate him up on rolls. So rhe guards started splashing 3s instead This is all perfectly fine but you add that to his defensive limits and it's no good.
I think the challenge for Sengun tonight is both Green and KPJ were hitting their shots. Ultimately, 3s are worth a lot more than 2s, so when the guards are 8-17 from 3PT, the ball really needed to keep going back to them to maximize the offensive output. Under these circumstances, a Sengun post up or high post, even if available, wouldn't be an ideal offensive set. Even if Sengun was going 2/3 on post up every time, mathematically speaking letting KPJ or Green shoot a 3 was still the better option. I think Sengun should have shared more minutes with the backups like Washington or Christopher tonight to maximize his strengths. It was a coaching error for Sengun to share minutes with KPJ and Green when they shoot like this.
Love your assessment and agree 100% with everything but the last part. I don't think it was a coaching error to leave him out there. If he's a starter I definitely want him getting minutes with the first unit so that chemistry continues to build. There will be nights when our guards aren't shooting particularly well and we may need that low post presence to grind out a win, but on nights like tonight Alpi has to find other ways to impact the game. One game and he's young. He will figure it out.
One of the main reasons of our 25 TOs yesterday it was our one-dimensional and predictable offense. Lucas thought that Adebayo would play and preferred a game plan focused on our guards. That's OK, but you have to read the game and for a big part of it the Rockets were not playing good basketball, defense was set and TOs and bad shots arrived, with the consequent transition oportunities. You look ahead and got a piece like Sengun who can open different alternatives and create quality shots and quality movement, so you try to use it. One of the challenges for this starting unit it will be recognizing when it's time to focus the game outside and when to play a little bit for Alpi. Not only low post plays but handoff and short-roll situations where he can make plays for others. That's not easy to realize while you're playing, so the assistance of the coaches will be necessary. But if you start Sengun, you have to find a way to do a much better usage of him. He's not Boban, he's super versatile offensively. Look for him.
It is called hype but I agree with that. Nowadays more players pan out than turning into busts because the work ethic, diet plans, and modern science have progressed. Players take care of their body and mind. You could say now with a good conscience that most number one, Top 3 or Top 5 lottery picks have a decent chance of panning out. Aside from the crazy hype that is going on social media. Sengun is a promising player from a continent that prides itself in team play and skill level. Local players have to become better at what he already does but they are oozing with physical talents and shooting potential. So it's basically a good blend of both worlds.
Yes Dedmon fouled him on every play and since rockets were winning by soo much refs didn't call a single foul. Not to mention our coach didn't give him the ball one time in the post to go at dedmon ton get some revenge. If rockets are just gonna have Sengun stand at the high post doing nothing they might as well trade him now. Just a few touches each quarter at least.
