Yeah they need to start stacking his legacy now if he's going to be in any GOAT arguments once Lebron leaves the league. MIP and DPOY this year and then next year they'll start having him in the MVP arguments. All the pundits already listing him as just outside the top 10 of active players...
didn't want to start a new thread, but more from The Athletic, early season surprises for each team: -------------------- Houston Rockets Jump in offensive efficiency: The Rockets have a borderline top-10 offense (11th in efficiency entering Thursday, per Cleaning the Glass), and it’s not just about Jalen Green’s fourth-year leap, shooting improvement or a major change in scheme. It’s simply about the subtle power of screening. Last season, coach Ime Udoka urged starting center Alperen Şengün, who generated 9.6 points off screens per game, to be more willing to create scoring opportunities for others around him. Şengün got stronger and improved his conditioning in the offseason — in addition to the arrival of Steven Adams, the screen god himself — which has worked wonders. Entering Thursday, Houston was scoring 15.6 points per game directly off Şengün screens, and the Rockets’ athletes are thriving. — Kelly Iko
Amen may have the most improved jump shot. It still isn't good, but MIP is suppose to be about improvement.
You have to score points with that jumper on the court with a fair amount of efficacy. One or two jumpers in 5 games , isn't going to cut it.
Amen Thompson absolutely smothered Brunson, he might be the best perimeter defender in the league right now.
That’s what I’m saying - he is really one of the best wing defenders in the league right now. It might take a few years for casual voters to catch up but he is a perennial all defense guy in the not so distant future.
more from the Athletic, each team's biggest current concern: Houston Rockets Murky offensive identity: There aren’t many concerns with an 11-5 Rockets team within striking distance of first place in the West, but Houston’s lack of an offensive hierarchy is puzzling. The Rockets want to control the glass, run the floor in transition and defend aggressively without fouling, but the absence of a true pecking order rears its head at the wrong times, especially in crunchtime. Four of their five losses have come in the clutch when their pace and ball movement grinds to a halt. It’s hard to be a pace-and-space unit when you’re 15th in pace and 27th in 3s made per game, and those issues could be fixed with an outlined structure. — Kelly Iko
Amen has been very solid but his stats are nearly identical to his rookie year, no way he gets even close to top 10 consideration as a 2nd year player for MIP at this rate.
I don't feel like the national media is giving credit to how different this Rockets team is in comparison to the Harden led teams. Sure we may be WAY behind the league leaders in 3s made per game, but we are also shooting about 35, 3s per game which puts us right around mid league tier. While in the Harden era we shot 45-50 3s per game. This team's scope and identity has changed and for the better. We don't need to rely on one sole offensive player to help create on a nightly basis, we can have multiple guys coming at you with uppercuts, jabs, haymakers, and hook shots from every spot on the floor. It really has been beautiful to watch!
I doubt Willams. His FG FT and 3pt %’s are down across the board while being up less than 2ppg. He’s good but there are other guys that make more sense.
