I never thought Sengun would be as good as Jokic, comparing him to an all time great just seemed too high a bar especially given their size difference. Sengun still probably won’t be as good as Jokic, but it’s going to be a lot closer than I thought it would - like a MJ/Kobe situation, master and the disciple.
I don’t think Sengun will be as good as Jokic. With that caveat out of the way, the numbers Sengun is putting up right now at 21 years old is basically what Jokic did his fourth and fifth year in the league. Jokic took a massive leap his sixth year and turned into an all time great, something we can’t really project Sengun to replicate. But at the same time, how could a 21 year old not improve? He won’t reach his prime until 4-5 years from now. What will that look like?
It is almost as Sengün figured out Basketball on the highest level at young age and how to improve.... And Amen and Cam both have the abilities but not the sage knowledge, like they will stay inactivated for very long.
Sengun also just “gets it” and has for as long as I have seen him play, going back to Turkey. He doesn’t get intimidated, he intuitively makes the right read on offense and has a special type of cool confidence…
He's 22 in a month and the team needs to decide what to do with him sooner rather than later. I think it's already a given that he's not going to get anywhere near a max extension and it's likely the Rockets don't want to extend him at all. He's only under contract for the rest of this season and one more AND he's starting to get in the way of better talent with the rise of Cam. I think the Rockets need to decide if this guy is really a starter caliber player within the next few months and if the answer is no....and IMO it should be, they need to see what they can get for him. If you are looking to build around guys like Sengun, you need players who can shoot, not streaky guys that need 15 shots to score 14 points most nights. If there's no trade interest in Jalen, you send him to the bench for his final season under contract and see if he signs a cheap deal to remain as a bench guy in a more proper Gerald Green type role.
Jalen's 5-15 last night looks rough but when you watch the tape the shots that went in were at important stages of the game. The 8 rebounds 4 assists and +17 were the positives of the night. Hopefully this can be the "floor" for him instead of the doldrums of the past month. Brooklyn has some great wing defenders and Claxton is a terrific interior defender. Just on pure conjecture, it feels Jalen's bad shooting nights are when opposing teams have a good rim-protecting center.
Euro leagues and coaching just do a better job of weeding out weak personalities. America coddles kids the minute they hit 6 foot in junior high. Cade, Jalen, Hardy, and Bates are a few examples of players that are just struggling to adapt in the NBA. They love the celebrity of basketball but not the work. The Euro kids that have the wrong idea just don't make it unlike their American counterparts that have no shortage of people thinking "i can fix him". Here they go on IG Live and listen to their "entourage" or hit the transfer portal. The only coach I know doing right is Sampson at UH who doesn't give two ***** about your 247 star rating.
people really underestimate mental game. its not track star guys.... bbiq, rhythm feel, quick reads, decisions, technique... those all are more important when you have passable physique and will always result in better player
That's a good analogy actually. Player comps are never 1:1 anyway. I've been saying "halfway between Julius Randle and Jokic" for awhile, but with the way Alpi is playing lately, I might have to upgrade it to "halfway between Pau Gasol and Jokic".
All about the shooting--like @MadMax keeps saying, he's make or miss. He isn't good enough at ballhandling or finishing around the basket for driving to be his main weapon. I've never seen a guy so athletic get blocked or miss layups as often as Jalen does. At best, driving is a secondary weapon to play off his shot. But his jumpshots need to go in for his whole game to work at all.
Every single player in the history of this sport (except Sengun ) goes on shooting slumps. Not saying Jalen is a premier shooter because he's not, but he is a rhythm type player. Getting him into some easy buckets and working him into the game instead of making him a spot up shooter from the tip is vital. Using his spring and athleticism via backdoor plays and above the rim lobs should be a staple. Reading fans talk about him being a dertriment and holding this team back is outlandish.
The Rockets have to be patient with him. He isn't someone that shows linear development. His improvement is usually in the form of jumps. As a rookie he really didn't look good for the first half of the season before making a big jump. The same thing happened last year as well. Right now he doesn't have a lot of trade value - so the best thing to do is to keep working with him for the rest of the season and see if he makes another jump in the second half.
This type of thread is damaging. Jalen Green will never be the top dog, he just doesn’t have the personality and the masculinity for that job. However, I think he can be a much, much better player than what he has shown so far. He got prime athletic ability, hand coordination skills are decent and will be improving (shooting and dribbling), decent reads, bright kid, coachable, diligent… The constant high expectations, like the ones implied in this thread, are just messing up with his head, big time. He just needs to clear his head, reset his expectations and keep grinding until he develops reliable mechanics in everything he does on the court. Right now he oscillates between pressuring himself and getting down on himself. That’s just damaging to himself and to the team.
Thank you! Wow some patience what a concept! Jalen is a pariah right now. Some guys think he's holding us back. Some guys think he can still reach his ceiling. He still needs to fill out. Streaky shooter, but when this kid is ON its hard to stop him. His confidence has been shook for the last month or so and I happily appreciate his struggles without any sort of expectation or denouncement. He's not singularly leading to losses. He's accepted the playing totem that has manifested by virtue of output and capability among the players in deferring to Sengun without a peep. He's learning on the job and will be better for it in the end.
half and half speaks more to his inconsistencies which is one of his biggest problems. there comes a time where flashes really just don't cut it anymore especially this being his 3rd year. The sample size continues to grow as relevant that the rockets see a whole lot more of up and downs rather than steady development. This season so far is exposing a lot of what he lacks, all while most of the other young guys have clearly taken steps forward
No they don't, and won't be.....he will be expecting a max contract and he won't be getting one. The relationship will more than likely sour as Sengun gets a Max extension and Jalen is told to hit RFA - or the Rox avoid that all together and trade him this offseason. Which I believe is what they will do. DD
