In the last 14 games like 11 of those games were against teams with losing records. Most of those games came against teams that either definitely won't make the playoffs, are tanking, or teams who will be in the play-in and might end up missing the playoffs. I'm not sure I'd attribute the Rockets new found offensive success to them figuring it out vs. the level of competition we've been playing. We'll find out what's what pretty soon though.
Regardless every team ends up playing 82 games and the Rox won enough to get 2nd seed. They may end up flopping in the playoffs but that is only due to age, FVV possible decline and lack of experience.
Just put at least two shooters on the court knocking down around 40% or better consistently (Greater than 10 games). I sought a solid 3rd player that could go along with Sengun/Green....because playoff teams will try to take away option 1 and 2. But the third could get us by. An example of that is vs the Heat where option 1 & 2 were taken out with Sengun 8 points and Jalen 6.....but VanVleet went off for 37. Without the threat of shooting....nobody gets anything. Vs good teams or bad. I wish our team had 5 (forty+) three point shooters like Cleveland or the Thunder.... I'd like our chances more. But we got to go with what we got.
My comment and the comment I responded to were specifically about the offense. I nor the poster I quoted said anything about their record or the overall success they've had this year.
For this year, who is that going to be? We only have one guy who consistently gets minutes shooting anywhere close to 40%...or are you talking about next season?
You underestimate professional NBA teams. Rockets lost to several “lesser” teams this year. Started off the season with an L against Hornets. Professional Teams play hard and the difference between winning and losing can be small as winning consistently is not easy. Who are the Rockets anyway? A young inexperienced team who has had issues offensively and has not mastered closing teams out. Why wouldn’t they lose to “lesser” opponents? Besides teams like the Bulls, Kings, Jazz aren’t the same team Rockets faced earlier in the year
Yeah, I'm not sure why you quoted me or how to respond to any of that as it has nothing to do with what I posted. But that's a bad take anyways...As if there is no differentiation between the better teams in the league and the worst.
Playoff teams aren't looking at full season percentages as much as recent percentages. Full season stat can be extremely deceptive. A poor Oct/Nov/Dec could sink a full season 3P%. A good Jan/Feb/March might be indicative of a player overcoming injury or tweaking their mechanics. Do I trust one of the most inconsistent 3-point shooters the league has seen in the form of Dillon Brooks......no. But I tip my cap to him for making his shots and having us near or at #2 seeding to this point. One decent 3-point shooter doesn't cut it nowadays. You have to have two or more on the court at one time to force defenses to rotate properly. Dillon starts it off and If Jalen/Tari don't have it going.....then Ime can sprinkle in Holiday/Jabari at any point of the rest of the game. Force defensive rotation. Steven Adams sets the good screens that Sengun never has been able to accomplish. Next year hopefully Udoka/Stone can add gun slinger, hired hand shooters. I still have Durant going to the Knicks; but Houston having a better chance than a month ago (because of the new found 3-point shooting). Durant cancelling out Dillon, as Dillon gets sent out in a Durant trade. Maybe Suns accept VanVleet instead? Better chance of Giannis coming to Houston now that Dame is out and their championship aspirations are probably dashed. Only problem is that Amen/Sengun/Giannis is probably offensive basketball suicide. Would Steven Adams re-sign?.....made $12M this season. Quentin Grimes would be a good back up addition....but he probably will go for starter position somewhere, making starter money.
If we go for Giannis, I think Sengun would be the main trade piece. Durant is the ideal fit, but I think you are right that he will end up on the East or West coast. I think Adam’s is a non-factor in the playoffs because of his free throw shooting and poor defense outside of 5 feet. I’m starting to think we should use our draft picks to build the best bench in the league and finding shooters to put around Amen.
I made my point very clear. You have a distinction in your mind that teams with “losing” records are lesser. Did you watch those games? Several of those games were competitive. Jazz, Bulls, Heat, Hawks, Magic all were competitive against the Rockets. I explained to you that every game is difficult and several of these teams are not the same teams Rockets played earlier. You proceeded to have no further explanation other than to be sensitive and take offense calling my statement a “bad take” and falsely saying that I said there’s no difference between “good teams and bad teams”. If you weren’t emotional and actually read you would see I never said that. Besides if you understood basketball you would understand matchups and style of play matters. This is why we struggle against fast teams that can dribble drive and run full court despite “lesser” records. Before you open your mouth and criticize: A. Lose the emotion B. Read C. Comprehend D. Come up with a better response with supporting facts
Nah. Amen is untouchable. I’m also starting to believe the FO is regarding Jalen in the same light. I wouldn’t trade Sengun either, but not sure Ime and Stone view him as untouchable
maybe. Who knows. I do know a player Not shooting beyond 10 ft is an issue. As much as I love Amen he becomes a non factor on half court sets at times with a limited offensive bag. I don’t think we have seen a player like Amen before. Early Rondo with better dribble drive and defense is my comparison. If a star is what they seek I would believe everything is on the table
They would need a stretch 5 that could defend the paint. Imagine how stacked in the paint teams would be with a Giannis Amen tandem. That offense wont work. There might be credibility in those Durant Booker rumors. Dunno. Old ass Durant, loser Book doesn’t sound appealing either
Amen has improved in every aspect of his game and really has played in only about 1 full season worth of games. I think it’s pretty silly to think his shooting will remain bad. This FO seems to be very patient. The playoffs will sure be interesting and might give us a clue of how patient they will remain.
