Ime Udoka after Thunder crush Rockets in OKC 11/8/2024

Ah, I didn't know that, but then a difficult step-back wide open three would be the same for all teams (if you don't consider the talent level. lol). I wonder how many of those are taken by each team and how much it would sway the stat if you removed them? This is one of those times I wish NBA.com offered even more granularity on the data. For example, you can get stepback 3 point shots for individual players like Jalen (who shoots them at around 38%), but not sure if you can get the data on a team level. I guess you could total them yourself. I'm not sure how much I trust the tracking to begin with, but it would be a neat exercise.

 

We are not GSW

 

• The Thunder have the most Point of Attack defenders in the West.
• 
  
• The Thunder have the most defenders that make you pay when you have non shooters and mediocre shooters.

 

Rockets and Thunder should try to make history.

 

Clutchfans will never accept this reality. OKC is definitely an outlier and it’s mostly because they have a generational talent at age 25 in SGA. Runner up MVP last year and should win it this year. The Rockets’ rode to contention, if building from within, is still a very reasonable 2 years away at best. None of our youngsters have fully developed minds or bodies for the NBA. This is a re-build from scratch and it takes time. I pray that Fertita and Stone don’t panic and trade away our future for one or two years of pretend contending with aging veterans.

Jalen 22
Tari 23
Bari 21
Amen 21
Cam 20
Reed 20
Alpi 22

OKC
Dort 25
SGA 26
Chet 22
Williams 23

 

Definitely a slippery slope where the All Star caliber prospects are maybe not getting it done without outer help.

 

How many of these guys look like they play like they're afraid to make a mistake? Literally everyone but Jalen. They play too tight, the leashes are too short. I disagree with people in the fandom that Reed should get sent down or Amen/Sengun shouldn't shoot 3s. Jabari also needs to shoot whenever he has an ounce of space.

When he doesn't the defense resets and we get a Fred or Jalen iso low percentage shot. This team is 5-4 because of the volume of talent on it.

 

I’d like to see assisted wide open 3s percentage separately. That would be quite informative.

 

He could have saved the whole presser (had to do it as coach) and said : We sucked and I need a drink.

 

We just aren’t good
Or are we all deluded

 

This is a good take. I do think that they are playing scared of making turnovers or missing shots given all the press. When I was playing basketball, hitting those first few shots was a great predictor of what I was going to do the rest of the day. Confidence is lacking which is understandable of a bunch of 21-22 year old guys, that are fighting for minutes every single game. Ime and Stone need to start making the transition to the younger players this year and sooner rather than later. They will struggle and we might not make the playoffs, but it will begin to pay off late this year and into next if done correctly. Dillon should have been gone before the season, even though he has played well on occasion this year. FVV is not our future and it is tragic that he continues to suck so many minutes away from Amen and Sheppard’s development.

 

The issue isn’t really the head coach.

The Rockets have lots of depth but not star players or consistent scorers.

The Rockets cannot shoot from the perimeter and lack creators.

The Rockets team is poorly constructed. There was no universal plan or type of team the Rockets wanted to build.

An organization like OKC pays attention to details at a level well beyond the Rockets.

 

All the young guys seem to have a short leash, including Jalen. He just doesn't care that much. Maybe he does have a somewhat longer leash. But he gets benched too in same games. The only players who have a long leash is FVV and Brooks.

I guess it's how Udoka teaches the kids, kind of like a father who sends his kids to stand in the corner whenever they misbehave. Some players may need it to correct their mistakes. I'd say Jalen and Cam are that kind. Some other players are too self-conscious for a short leash and end up being afraid to make mistakes. Alpi, Jabari, and Reed are like that. They need to be unleashed, encouraged to play more freely.

This is just my guess by observing the patterns. I don't really know what's going on behind the scene.

 

There is as much of a chance that Ime is still experimenting with this as the situation you just described.

 

If that is how he is teaching then he needs to change his technique. It is having the opposite effect. I was disappointed in Stone for sticking with the status quo this off-season and I am disappointed in Ime reverting to his vet-itis and lousy conservative offensive philosophies. We are wasting the easy part of our schedule through stubbornness. This is going to get harder not easier. I predict a loss tonight to a Detroit team that is starting to believe in itself and a Rocket’s team that is losing confidence daily.

 

I think this team is insanely well-constructed:

Sengun - with a passable 3PT shot
Jabari or Tari - whichever is better 3&D
Amen - just needs marginal improvement each summer
Green - with above league average 3PT shooting
Sheppard - safely brings the ball up, 3’s and defense

If Green and Sengun hit their marks, this is a championship contender by March 2026. I have no doubt about that.

Sengun 3PT shot opens EVERYTHING up. Can start Amen. Can run an actually threatening PnR with Jalen. Can let Jalen cook. Can get someone to bite on the pump fake. All our perimeter players will find it easier to score. I think we’re close, it still needs work but it feels like it’s just a confidence issue now.

 

I'm curious about that analysis accounting for the "core" of the team .

A lot of champions I don't think had old superstars , but had older guys off the bench and on the roster as vet support . Take Boston , they were an "old team" wait actually .. how the fuq was Boston the 5th oldest team ?

IDK about that data man

 

This only said that they were about the 5th Oldest Championship team.....I would not worry about small thing.

Does not mean they were an old NBA team.......as Champions do not have to be 'Old teams'.

Take for example the Lakers Bubble team, they had aging superstars but their rotation players were fairly young/mid age.

 

I thought the bottom tank was age rank vs the league , otherwise what does ranking the championship teams age vs each other mean ?

 

The bottom is the current 2025 year age ranking of teams.

The flaws in that graphic was that the age of all those teams were not displayed, only the sequence/ranking order number.