Jalen Green wouldn't mind the Rockets drafting Amen Thompson

Amen’s biggest draw to me is not his Athleticism, it’s his Athleticism PAIRED WITH his remarkable court vision and processing speed. He almost does not make wrong reads ever.

Think about an athletic version of Josh Giddey with much better physical profile (longer and stronger) and much better defensive tools. Think about a Ben Simmons that actually has a brain and a will and a love of the game.

Again, the only broken link is the shots. The debate is of course whether he can fix that.

(Regardless of whom we draft it makes a lot of sense to hire the best shot coach out there. )

 

He said he didn't want to do the dunk contest because it also took a toll on his body and he mentioned the injuries he had his rookie year. So you want him to have a "winning mentality" but at the same time sacrifice the actual season to participate in a dunk contest?

 

Excuses. He participated. He shat the bed. Embarrassed himself and thats really why he doesn't want to go back.

 

If that's what you want to believe then that's on you. Clearly people in this fanbase have preset notions against certain players and assume the worst. Especially in a dunk contest that doesn't mean much. This is the first time I've ever heard winning mentality attributed to doing the dunk contest outside of Skip Bayless.

 

Tatum shot worst than JG(jump shots) and is one of the order jump shooters in the league. He shot 36% on jump shots on this season and took well over 1000 jump shots. . I bet you still want Tatum and would Ignore that, right?

 

Green is becoming a leader…..Green was in the top 5 in scoring this year of Shooting Guards. I can see him averaging 25 points this year and shooting 45 FG%

 

How so? He's not even a top 3 player on the team, he's never done any of the on the court leader things, he's never done any of the of the court leader things.... so where are you getting this?

Is it just something you wish was true and you want to manifest it?

 

So Jalen isn't even better than Jabari or Tari I your mind? Interesting.

 

The majority of the best players of all time were either athletic beasts or over 6'10" or both. Physical tools are just one part of the package, and it is possible to be very successful as an average athlete, but don't underestimate the importance of athleticism.

Here's how I'd rank the top 4 tools in importance:
1. Feel for the game/basketball IQ
2. Physical tools (height, athleticism, strength)
3. Intangibles (work ethic, competitive drive, mental toughness)
4. Shooting

Amen is potentially elite in the first three.

 

I mean, Jalen might have been better than Jabari, but being better than Jabari isn't really saying much.


Jalen was terrible on both ends of the ball, he's a lot efficiency chucker that isn't good on or off ball and is one of the worst defensive players in the league. He lacks defensive ability AND he doesn't even pretend to try most of the time.

Most disagreement is "WELL HE SCORED POINTS" type arguments that ignore efficiency and stick to raw numbers like it's a conversation between teenage fans in the 80's.

 

Nah, Tatum is cabbage!

 

Well that's being aware of what he did and chooses not to embarrass himself again, maybe its the reason why Bron never participated, some are just more in game dunk performers than all star dunk type

They say if you are ashamed(embarrassed) about something then don't do it again, so I guess Green is going that route, the dunk contest isn't what it use to be so its really not that big of deal, he did it and shat the bed, career goes on, water under the bridge

 

Who cares.

KPJ adapts or he can play elsewhere. Thompson and Henderson have higher upside.

 

Hope these kids won't rely too much on their athleticism, that ain't enough.
there're many things they gotta add to their bag through watching show reels, getting dirty in weightroom n more drills.
I wish to see a more all around jalen, ain't that one who either pop 3s or driving into the lane for dunks…post-up, elbow jumper, floater i wanna see more.

 

They still keep track of ppg and rpg and apg like they did in the 1960's, LeBron just broke the scoring record that was set in the 1980's, Westbrook not too long ago broke the triple double record that was set in the 1960's

You rinse and repeat same lines over and over like a 1980's episode of ESPN dedicated to JG4

Ability and commitment are two different things, wanting to and going after it (doing) are two different things

You being a supreme blindfolded water boy is why you can't seem to figure out that saying being better than Bari isn't saying much, just like KPJ being better than Nix/TyTy isn't saying much

Or KPJ being most consistent good or 23 yr old and under player on this team when you claim everybody is basically scrubs on this team isn't saying much

Everybody pretty much was saying the same thing about KPJ defense/inefficiency first three years, then this past season his TS% has a baby spike and you backed up the Ozarka truck for your hero, while the Rockets gave him a discount contract because he was so efficient and tremendous on defense

Low key KPJ has you on his payroll as his personal WB

 

Who cares.

KPJ adapts or he can play elsewhere. Thompson and Henderson have higher upside.

Henderson is my preference. Yes I would deal picks to move up. Henderson is a monster

 

Lean Aesthetic Squad

 

Everyone keeps saying this. But only Miller shot the ball well this past season. But for every player in college/G-League/Elite/Europe, the sample sizes are so small that just missing/making 5-10 3-pointers dramatically changes percentages.

On top of that everyone keeps arguing about how "objectively" Thompson, Scott, or Whitmore will or won't get better at shooting, or how Miller will definitely become more of a playmaker. No one really knows unless you work out the player and scout everyone in the players life/background to figure out the person.

Everyone is a projection, and none of these players are going to make the Rockets a playoff team next season. That will take a few years. Plus who cares are about just getting to playoffs.

The goal is championship. Not becoming the Knicks of the Western Conference by trading the pick for a No. 2 or No 3 guy who will require max money, or signing a bunch of expensive veterans just because.

 

Well sure they still keep track of basic b**** stats, but only the most casual fans base their opinion based on things like PPG.

There's nothing wrong with being a simple minded casual....but you aren't going to do very well when talking about things like player evaluation.

They still keep track of basic b**** stats in baseball too, but if you build a case for a player based on batting average or number of HR's, you'll get laughed out of any room that has intelligent baseball fans.

It's no different with basketball and citing raw PPG stats to build a case for an inefficient chucker.

 

That's a bold statement, neither of those guys can shoot and neither of them played against even a college level of competition....and they didn't look great against the weak competition they played against.

If we're going pie in the sky about all 3 of their ceilings, KPJ comes out ahead...none of them are likely to reach that ceiling though. Honestly Thompson could be out of the league fairly quickly if he doesn't learn how to shoot at some point....a 6'7 Giannis isn't an NBA caliber player. Thompson has by far the lowest floor. Henderson could be a decent enough bench player as a floor.

Guards that straight up can't shoot simply aren't that valuable. Ricky Rubio is one of the most talented passers the NBA has seen in a LONG time....but he never learned to shoot so he was always mid at best.

Henderson could be nothing more than an overhyped fart in the wind if he never learns how to shoot. Thompson could get bounced out of the league even more quickly if he doesn't DRASTICLLY improve.

Saying these guys have a higher upside than BY FAR the best guard on the Rockets suggests some kind of outside bias at play. It's certainly no basketball argument for it.