We lack an all-NBA player like many of the teams you listed. I wouldn't say the Warriors, Twolves, or Lakers are strong contenders but they have clear cut franchise players on their rosters even if some of them are older like Curry. If none of our young guys takes that kind of leap we will end up mediocre like you fear. Sengun and Amen are good candidates to reach that level, but it's certainly not guaranteed. KD is here to bridge the talent gap, but is too old to carry a franchise on his shoulders alone.
Sengun is playing like an all NBA player right now. He may not be able to sustain it but so far he has looked every bit the part. Even in a game like against Detroit where his shot wasn't falling(lots of uncalled fouls there), he still impacted the game significantly in other ways.
Have to disagree here. Give me Durant over Curry any day at this age. He can put up 27+ ppg on great efficiency - that's plenty to carry an offense. Gives you some rebounds, defense, blocks, assists. Don't be fooled by last season. It was stupid just how much his skills overlapped with Booker and Beal. Terrible fit there. They played him too many minutes. Much better fit here, the team is not depending on his defense like the Suns were. He's going to have a bit of a bounce back season here I think.
https://www.nba.com/stats/team/1610...*Sengun&GroupQuantity=2&dir=D&sort=OFF_RATING up to 123..3 and 59.6 after last night. Was 122 and 58% last season. GSW slowed down the offense, but couldn't score against it. I don't think the double bigs will work against everyone. Frankly, I was surprised that it works at all outside rare matchups. The Rockets have played it enough that the league should have adjusted better already if it was just a gimmick. Edit: Cleaning the Glass (https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/team/11/lineups?on=4879&on=21#tab-four_factors) has the offensive rating at 125.4 (90th percentile offensively), dominating the offensive glass and FTAs while being average from the field and on turnovers.
Durant is aging better than Curry in my opinion and is a great fit here. I didn't mean to imply otherwise. They're both all-time greats and holding up very well but are declining. Curry cannot carry a team alone either. Before GS picked up Butler last season they were very mediocre and over relied on Curry. Even with Butler their window is very short. Like others have said Sengun looks to have taken that leap and was pretty much there last season already. If he can get back to his prior efficiency we're okay. Amen is full of promise but is only proven as an elite defender so far. In a vacuum our team is great. The only problem is our conference is full of generational players like SGA, Jokic, Luka, Wemby. KD is 37 so even if he's good enough to carry an offense now can we keep pace with the other teams as he ages? It does not help that FVV is out this season as our window is supposed to be open right now.
Thanks. The Rockets are still far and away the best offensive rebounding team. If Adams can sustain his minutes, the trend will continue. Amen's offensive rebounding has dropped probably due to his increased PG duty.
Offensive rebounding is an overblown statistic, 3pt making is the key in the modern NBA. The Rockets championship teams were some of the WORST offensive rebounding teams....because they didn't miss enough to have that many. THAT is how you win, more efficient offense and less rebounds DD
Counterpoint, the Chicago Bulls won the three championships before and the three after the Rockets won their 2. The Bulls were as good on the offensive glass as the Rockets were bad. Granted, I think Olajuwon and MJ were bigger factors than the style of play of the rest of the teammates. Offensive rebounding is only overrated if it is achieved at the expense of transition defense. The Rockets' offensive rebounding basically helps the transition defense, as teams have to use multiple bodies just to keep the Rockets from rebounding the ball. More rebounds make the offense more efficient...not less. Adams being inside does not prevent others from shooting threes. I am pro-spacing, but rigid rules on how to play is easily manipulated by opposing teams. The Rockets got Adams for 2nd-round picks. Easily worth it. I do look forward to when DFS is healthy and the Rockets play some small-ball lineups as well.
I think the generational thing is overhyped personally. You need a top 10 offense and top 10 defense to win a title. That's a far more reliable determinant (over 95% of the time) than the subjective title of generational player (like 20% of them win a title before being called generational?). I think we have that for the next 2 years for sure, and likely after that too once you take into account the future picks we hold. KD and Curry can't carry a team to a title, but they can carry a team in the playoffs for this season and probably next. You have to commit your defense to stopping them, which is really the main purpose of having them. Amen and Sengun have had 1 game in their life where the paint is not clogged and they get to create at a high volume. I bet we're thinking about them differently very soon. We haven't seen anywhere near the best of this trio (Sengun/Durant/Amen). Sengun's jumper is looking like you have to respect it and that changes everything when Amen is the only non-shooter on the floor. Both of them are going to take a step up. If Luka is in that conversation just for being a 28ppg scorer who dishes out 7+ assists and sucks at defense, I think Sengun can be in that conversation in his mid 20's (and is a better defender for his position). As an overall player, I think with another 2 years of work on his jumper Amen can achieve the same two way impact as Luka had at 25. Defense is HALF the game after all. I don't think we're that far off personally, especially after these two years of playing with Durant. Highly advise waiting 2 weeks before worrying about this. My #1 concern in the entire NBA has shifted from OKC/DEN to the Spurs. Wemby is a meteoric obstacle. That's what we should be thinking about strategically. We're ok though because we have the Wemby killer (Udoka).
I really love open play and active defense. It is my preference. That said, people act like the double big lineup has not been effective when any reasonable person should be able to see with their eyes. Problem is, people have ideas of what works and let their biases blind them to alternatives if the alternatives work in weird ways that don't fit their belief system.
7'5 Wemby won't last long. If you see the long list of Foot Fracture and Knee problems before the NBA and Blood Clot.
This is a great show. These guys have interesting takes and talk about the technical side to basketball if anyone wants to learn more. Here they talk about Houston’s double big but also how teams need depth these days especially when defenses are playing a lot of full court or half court press.
Generational talent is a subjective term, sure. But those top 10 offense/defense teams are easier to build around superstars, however subjectively they are defined. In the past 20 years only two championship teams lacked an MVP award winner on the roster: the 24 Celtics and the 19 Raptors. And even those teams were chock full of all-NBA, former all-star, and all-defensive players. I also think you're underestimating Luka quite a bit. Although he hasn't won an MVP award, at age 20 he averaged 29/9/9. Two seasons ago at age 24 he averaged 34/10/9 and took Dallas to the finals as their clear cut best player. He's made the all-NBA 1st team five times in seven seasons. If Sengun or Amen reach those heights then fantastic. I just don't treat it as a forgone conclusion. I'm not worried about this season at all. The person I responded to was worried about us being like Memphis, being young and promising and then falling off as the seasons passed. I can see that happening to us if Sengun and Amen aren't superstars, as I don't see Tari or Jabari having that potential. Maybe Reed does but who knows. We aren't in OKC's position, where the blueprint for the next four years is clearly defined. As much as I like teams like the 04 Pistons I still think the league is superstar driven. Without one you can't really compete.
