Granted I didn't watch but am I really supposed to be surprised he got out-muscled by a grown ass man like Dedmon who's pretty much sole job is to do just that lol
I’m not as high on Sengun as some people. OP has some valid points, but we’ll certainly keep him through his rookie contract. I hate to compare him to Vlade Divac, but I’m hopeful that’s what he’ll become. He seems like a fairly smart player. Not overly athletic, but crafty. He’s also a player you WANT to cheer for. He should be able to improve, like any young player, but I don’t see him as our future 5. That’s the next piece of the puzzle IMO.
It is amazing on CF that one can truly see how quickly and easily some see the worst and never the good. What a tough way to live life.
One preseason game shouldn't make someone dismiss the entire potential of a player. That's silly. But there is one concern that this team has to confront eventually is that Sengun is an ineffective off ball player while we have two uber talented guards who want the ball in their hands. Sengun is effective when he's doing his thing with the ball in the high and low post. The real concern isn't the talent of Sengun. It's the compatibility. It ain't the end of the world. Sengun is still very young and still can develop a decent enough jump shot where defenses won't sag off him. That another problem. Even when the ball is in his hands especially in a face up position at the high post area, defenses are going to sag off which closes a lot of the creative passing lanes Sengun uses that makes him a special playmaker at his position.
Maybe because Silas is out or foul trouble but we didn't use the "41" offense at all last night. That's where he shines. Maybe there is room for WCS in a quick, running starting unit while AL-P leads the 2nd unit using 41 half court sets.
Nail on the head - thanks! This shouldn't be a 'Sengun is a bad player' thread but rather a "when are we going to wake up and realize the pieces we collected as a "best available" strategy don't fit"?. I agree that for Sengun to be at his best, it's going to come at a cost to his teammates and when his teammates are as talented as they are, that's a bit of a problem. Even though Jalen hasn't been particularly effective at the rim, he can still get better quality shots at the rim far easier than Sengun so...why take the ball out of THAT guy's hands. Same with Scoot who is developing quite the nice little mid range pull up game. Additionally, Sengun doesn't rebound particularly well off missed layups(Eason has already shown he is far better at this) and he is generally too slow to run down long rebounds which we will probably have a lot of because of our long range shooting strengths with Jabari, Jalen, Scott, Gary Bird, KMJ(Dare I say?). It was painfully obvious with Sengun last night that he is very out of place in a game where Scott, Jalen, Eason, Tate, and KJM are all running around creating chaos and trying to score quick and be aggressive - Sengun is a half court player and THAT wasn't a half court game.
its good that he aint a finished product so we can tank! The hope is by the end of his rookie contract he'll develop a 3 pointer. Let the kid play! i think the coaches know his limitations. but hey! at least he sets screens! i guess this is why we signed willie and fernando. Perhaps sengun may never be starter worthy, but just a bench player on a contender. i would be fine with that.
I don’t care about a poor offensive game and some turnovers but his defense last night was appalling, he can’t be late or too un-athletic to react to everything while simply just hacking a foul or giving up an easy bucket at the rim. He’s 20, not freaking out but Smith is going to have a tall order on D this year
What it looks like to me on the offensive side is that he works best in a half-court set where he can post up and the ball can flow through him like the Rockets did with Hakeem. If he's got a lesser defender on him then he can capitalize otherwise he can pass to cutters or open 3 point shooters once he starts making his move. This type of offense should really be sprinkled in 5 to 6 times a game so that the offense does not become predictable. Another part of this is that Sengun is now a name and opposing teams are keying in on him to throw his effect on the game off. Last year he was just starting to get a rep and everyone was keying in on Green and KPJ so he was pretty well left to operate uninterrupted. He's so crafty in the post that I think they are thinking Sengun first and then worrying about everyone else next. If Green, KPJ, Smith and Eason start building up their cred around the league and they all have to be played honestly, that will open up Sengun's ability to post his man and kick out. With Green, KPJ, Smith and now Tari looking like deadly three point shooters eventually they will have no choice but to play man-to-man defense because Sengun is such a creative passer and can hit them in their spots with ease. I'd say by mid-season the rest of the league will have a clue what Tari and Jabari are and if they have established names for themselves, Sengun will really start to shine.
Those who say he doesn't fit: Are you happy with the way the team plays now, taking 3 pt.ers with 20 on the clock? The Rockets are just one injury away from being a 20-IQ pt team, and they don't even feed their only good passer.
What's funny is I watch opposing announcers and they just have entirely different perceptions of this team than many Sengun only fans here. The Heat announcers states multiple times how the Rockets offense is not the problem at all and how it's a very dangerous offense headed by one of the most talented young backcourts in the league. Their defense is dog ****. The Rockets most talented players play best in a faster style. Green is the second pick overall and is one of the most explosive transition players in the league today at 20. We are going to cater our offense more towards the higher ceiling higher draft pick player. The Rockets biggest strength right now compared to the rest of the league is speed and athleticism. We are one of the most explosive teams in the league and we should take advt of that talent.
Let’s trade everyone who’s 20 and older and just tank until we find a 19 year who’s great from game 1 and doesn’t ever have a bad game imo.
Realistically you can't have 5 superstars in your starting lineup. Sengun will probably never be a superstar but he is uniquely skilled player and gives our lineup an edge in terms of post and face up scoring as well as rebounding and passing. On a normal lineup he will be a 6th man on the team but on our particular line up with Bari and Tari flanking him and making up for his defense he can totally be our future starting 5 sort of like Divac on the Sacramento Kings. Sengun, Bari, Tari, KPJ and Green, this line up isn't a traditional line up but I feel like they complement each other really well and it's not a coincidence this lineup (with Bruno, EG, KMJ and Tate) is what smoked Toronto.
