Yes, and Jabari and Tari's growth also. I expect solid cumulative growth among the 4 youngsters that most people here don't seem to be accounting for. These guys won't be the same exact players they were last season. To be clear, I don't believe the growth will be uniform among them, but taken all together, I think folks will be pleasantly surprised.
All true about the other as they mature. The sleeper of the group is Reed. He fills stat sheets and plays with intensity. The Limited G league kid last year was lighting in a bottle. I truly believe both he and Cam were hidden from trades by limiting playing time. Which makes as better today and going forward. Remember Reed’s shooting in college was insane. I believe we are in for a treat for years to come.
Calling my shots now: Amen will average 18+ points per game and 33+ percent from three Sengun will average 22 points per game on career-best efficiency numbers If KD somehow plays more games/minutes than SGA, we will be the #1 seed in the West. (I give it about a 1 in 4 chance of happening.)
Sengun should get better when he has 3 shooters and a slasher/dunkers spot guy around him. I believe he will be the workhorse for this team for the first 3 quarters and that he will average more than 20 points per game and more than 6 assists per game. KD will be the leading scorer and create a lot of offense. In his last teams there was always someone else who you could argue should get the last shot over him - now he is the definite player with the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. The big question is Amen. We have seen flashes from him as an offensive creator this last season, including his game winner vs. Boston. But overall he was the hustle player, that scored in transition, off of offensive rebounds or good passes. He is the one with the most potential and the only one, that can really create pressure by driving to the basket. We definetly need him to improve the most. Jabari is the dark horse here. His offense hasn´t really improved much since joining the league. I dont think he ever will be a first option, but if he can learn some things from KD he should develop into a third option. He can shoot over most players - we need him to be mobile and use screens and be a deadly midrange player. Overall I am not worried. I am worried about health, I am worried about not enough growth or too much regression from KD, but I am not worried about the skillset we have on our team.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/64...n-durant-dorian-finney-smith-rockets-spacing/ One of the biggest takeaways from Houston’s early playoff exit — aside from the lack of experience — was that its season-long half-court spacing (and subsequent 3-point shooting) issues had reached their apex. And it had become so entwined in their identity that the ineffectiveness took shape right from the opening tip in the most important game of their season. The above possession from Game 7 against the Golden State Warriors illustrated everything wrong with the Rockets’ offensive approach, how defenses could stifle them and why shooting — which the Rockets just stocked up on — remains a premium asset in today’s game. On Houston’s opening set, the Rockets had Jalen Green initiate and used Dillon Brooks to set a down screen for Alperen Şengün, while the Warriors comfortably sat back in zone. Amen Thompson, who shot less than 30 percent from 3 this year, is stationed in the corner. Şengün, connecting on just 23.3 percent of 3s this season, is not a threat above the break and the attempted two-man game between him and Green is too compact to make a real impact. The play results in Şengün tossing up a prayer, snagging the rebound and then turning the ball over. An all-encompassing Rockets play. … Let’s start with Durant. For all the dysfunction that Phoenix endured last season, it’s a miracle the Suns were still a top 10 half-court team, which boils down to Durant and his consistency, even at age 36. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Suns were a plus-6.2 points better offensively when Durant was on the floor, a 90th percentile impact. Durant’s teams’ effective field goal percentage shoots up by nearly six percent, which has been a trend at each of his previous stops. With better players around him, Durant should help Houston’s numbers spike. It’s a seamless fit on paper, a smooth three-level scorer paired with high-motor athletes and a savvy low-post presence. Last season, 77 percent of Houston’s 3s were above the break, similar to Durant’s shot distribution (76 percent), where he shot an impressive 40.8 percent. Despite the corner 3 being the shortest and seemingly most efficient outside look, the Rockets aren’t one of those teams that design actions to target those areas. Over the two summers Ime Udoka has been in Houston, his staff has gone on coaching retreats, where everyone comes together for a weeklong brainstorming session, bouncing ideas off one another and watching hours of film of opponents and from different leagues. This offseason, improving the Rockets’ setup against zone defenses and creating space has been a strong focus. And nothing here is reinventing the wheel, Tyus Jones (21) is of a similar build to starting point guard VanVleet. Quick-hitting actions on the strong side, using Durant as a screener and allowing him to pop, while a big ensures Durant has ample room by screening his man, can easily work in Houston. This is a funky variation of Spain action and should be used a lot next season. The Rockets love to use VanVleet as a screener. He’s one of the best guards in that respect, but it’s one thing to force a switch for Şengün, who is going to back you down in the post. It’s another to generate a wide-open attempt for a Hall of Fame sniper. Inverted pick-and-rolls only truly work where the bigger ballhandler is a respected playmaker and Durant’s 18.9 assist rate (88th percentile among forwards) forces defenses to guess. In Finney-Smith, the Rockets are acquiring a veteran 3-and-D forward who torched them as a Laker, hitting 12-of-20 3s against them in late March and April. There’s a gap in skill between Finney-Smith and Durant, but there’s no mistake that the former’s teams fare better offensively with him on the floor. Across Brooklyn and Los Angeles, Finney-Smith’s teams were a plus-10.8 and plus-9.3 while he was on the floor, per Cleaning the Glass. Because he lacks real on-ball skills, he can space, relocate and convert, which makes him an asset. Finney-Smith shot 42.9 and 43.5 percent in the corners and 39.9 on above-the-break 3s. When teams go zone, as the Rockets did here against the Lakers, Houston won’t need to force the issue or probe this season, knowing that there are quality shooters on the perimeter. Because the Rockets now have an abundance of talent, Udoka’s in-game lineups might even be more effective than his starting and closing groups. Take this possession below, now with Thompson and Clint Capela running pick-and-roll instead of Luka Dončić and Rui Hachimura. Capela’s vertical gravity (which is more prominent than Hachimura’s) forces the opposing big to slide in, temporarily leaving Finney-Smith alone in the corner. Thompson has certainly made a similar cross-court pass like this before for an open man. As Houston’s focus next season shifts to title contention, its new additions should be afforded a learning curve. But assuming the Rockets maintain their defensive prowess, adding bona fide spacers in Durant and Finney-Smith should solve their half-court issues once and for all.
