Alpi's defense is horrific. He is too slow and unathletic, we need someone that can protect the paint to pair with him to cover for his Scola like tendencies. I know folks like him a lot, he is super smart, I do too, but I understand why the org is hesitant to fully embrace him and share the same beliefs as the org does. DD
"Live for 100 years, learn for 100 years." - Russian proverb Today i learned that B2B MVP is not a franchise player. What a time to be alive.
I think horrific is way overstating it. Hardens defense before he locked in was horrible. Al P just goes for way too many steals and isn’t quite strong enough to keep guys out of the paint. But he also just hasn’t had the experience and put in the effort to do the work before guys get too close to the rim. Biggest key to defense for bigs is to do your work BEFORE they get the ball. Al P may not be as quick as others but you don’t have to be “fast” to play good position defense. Scola wasn’t a good defender and had equally slow feet. But he made up with it with intelligence and positioning. Al P just needs to take charges. He tends to try and go straight up and down. Don’t bother. Take that hit and fall down. Not saying his defense shouldn’t ever be a concern, but I don’t think it’s as bad as some make it out to be. Edit: I need to proof read before I send. I hate auto correct.
Agreed.. and because of SOME fans, lots of longtime member here hoping that Sengun got traded, not improving, stay om the bench, etc etc just to make them feel right and shove it to that SOME fans.. sad, really.. i just hope that eventually the SOF will become Rockets fans.. heck, many Harden fans became Rockets fans, many Yao fans became Rockets fans, and like me many Hakeem fans became Rockets fans..
All you have to do is ask someone "why is Alpi bad at defense?" If they come back with an argument that's not quantitative, ignore them. Things like "he looks slow" or "he doesn't jump high" add no value to the discussion.
I agree, I've never seen someone blamed so much for the mistakes of others while the racist stereotypes keep rolling in.
He is not a championship team player - that is the point, he is a great offensive player, MVP awards are mostly for that - but when you get into the playoffs he gets exposed....now maybe this year will be different. As for Alpi's D? After 2 years he still reaches, hasn't learned how to jump straight up and down without reaching, is consistently slow at rotating over to cover the paint, and in the PnR he drops so deep that teams get a wide open shot on us every single time. Alpi has blocked a few shots, but overall he is a net negative on defense and a net positive on offense....is he a guy to build around? NO ! Is he a guy to build with - Yes! DD
Sengun is the most skilled player on a roster that can’t find a way to win 25 games. I’m not much of a believer in any of these jokers. I’d lean into Sengun. ClutchFans is down so bad, man. We’re debating about the quality of the different deck chairs on the Titanic.
Cool. Now let's compare his defensive stats with those of his teammates. Last time I checked, he was one of the best defenders in the team. I'm asking you to back your opinions up with numbers because you say "net positive" and "net negative".
Dear lord. Alperen has looked like dog **** since the Turkey stuff. No one needs an off-season more than him. Neuter complete. Noice Stephen.
This is a Sengun thread, I agree, the Rockets Defense top to bottom is awful. Not sure what Lionel Hollins is doing sitting on that chair other than breaking wind, but it sure isn't teaching D. As for defensive numbers - they are all pretty poor, and all that does is lead to back and forth with different number sets none of which tell you much. I am 100% fine with you not agreeing with me, I know what I know and see what I see......been at this a long time, and he is really poor on D - he is very good on the low block and crafty with his passing - but on D, he is an open door, which makes him a Rocket I guess. Queue the "See, he didn't back it up with number- stans - who never balled in their lives." DD
Don't bother reasoning with dd when he's using his eye test. He thought wood was a great player also, man isn't even a starting center with the mavs
I never said he is the guy to build around. or i never said he's a net positive on defense. But it's funny how you blame it all on the coaching staff when it comes to KPJ's weaknesses but no mention of coaching staff when it comes to Sengun's weaknesses.
I am honestly waiting for us to stop tanking, get an actual coach, and assemble an actual teams (vets, stars, role players) before I pass judgement on anyone. Let's face it, our entire team sucks at defense and regularly get bent over the knee on a nightly basis. Sengun is obviously not scaring any guards and wings, Jabari is still too scrawny, Eason tries but doesn't know his head from his ass half the time, Tate is solid but just one person, KPJ has potential but fails to live up to it more often than not even when not complaining, Green is an absolute turnstile, Garuba is still too raw, and the rest of the team can be summed up as burnable trash. Ironically enough, Sengun has actually been one of the better defenders on the team by simple virtue of being smarter than most of the other players on the team. Seriously, our D sucks bad enough that Bill Russell would gouge out his eyeballs if he watched us play from the afterlife. At the end of the day, defense is a team effort in the NBA. You have schemes and rotations and more importantly roles and responsibilities for each player on the court given whatever current situation and this is why I believe that Sengun won't be as bad as some believe on this BBS. He is a smart player and while not fast by any definition, is not exactly slow either. This means that if our next coach brings discipline and executes their own responsibilities with competence, I believe Sengun can be at the right place, right time more often than not. As for elite guards / wings seeking to ISO him out on a PnR, that will always be a problem. With that said, that's ALSO a problem with 99% the rest of the NBA. Harden and CP3 destroyed every team defense they faced when healthy, including the much vaunted GSW. At the end of the day, while Sengun is not stopping Luka on an island neither are Bam, Ayton, or Embiid.
Agree with most of what you said but please do not put Bam in this conversation. Bam is a defensive monster and part of what makes him special is his ability to switch and guard smaller quicker players in space. See video highlights from last years playoffs. Notice what he does on an island against Harden, Trae, Jaylen Brown, Tatum, Smart, Maxey... while still being able to guard Embiid. My hope is that a Jabari (or Tari) with more muscle and weight can develop into something like Bam. They both have the same lateral quickness, foot speed, and most importantly - effort level. I too think that all of our players will improve defensively with more structure (and effort...*cough*-tanking?-*cough*) but let's not under value what Bam brings in an attempt to make your point about Sengun. I could also argue your point about Sengun being better on defense because he's smarter by pointing out that it's not so smart to keep making the same defensive mistakes and picking up the same silly fouls, but then I might be considered a hater I can't wait to see what next season brings when there is less incentive for tanking. Perhaps a new coach with a better offensive system which I'm sure Sengun will be a big part of. His performance this year definitely makes him deserving of an increased role, despite defensive issues.
