It's natural when taking nearly 50% more shot attempts and playing on the ball much more often that Amen's efficiency would drop like it has, I'm not concerned about that. I think his PG play has been fine for a guy who is still very much learning the position. I mainly just want to see the improvements to his jumper that we saw in the preseason show up in real games. I think he will get there, he may be in his head a little bit with it.
He's not figuring stuff out, he's struggling playing out of position and it's turning a rising star into a liability far more than should be possible.
Well said, actually. A rising star starting to fall to earth. First team all defense now just another dude who can play D.
He's fine. He's improving. Especially with his reads and T.O.s. If he still looks like this in April then we can talk about "putting him where he belongs". Not about to try and limit the only real superstar talent on this team. Eventually Durant wont be here.
Yeah, it's hard to drive in Udoka's offense lol Even if you're the most athletic player in the NBA. Some of y'all just don't want to see it's been hard for everyone to drive the basket since Udoka got here. The offense prioritizes rebounders over drivers. Those close to the basket or who can shoot over the defense will thrive most. Amen's doing a great job given the circumstances. When teams realize Sengun/Durant are murdering everyone, more space will open up for Amen. We're starting to taking a more normal volume of 3's now and the double big thing is dying out a bit. Amen's time is soon, don't worry.
That's just objectively inaccurate, he's worse than he's ever been... by playing him out of position, they are limiting him.... making him a liability rather than a top player on the team. Trying to force a square peg into a round hole just ends up ruining the hole and the peg.
I don’t think it’s an overreaction. The inability to shoot remains unchanged, and many of us expected Amen to show at least some tangible improvement in that area, regardless of whether he’s playing guard or wing. I’m reserving my optimism for next season since refining a shooting stroke is the kind of work that happens in the offseason, not during the grind of the regular schedule. Given the expectations surrounding Amen, it’s understandable that we hold him to a higher standard than almost anyone else on the roster, perhaps only Sengun compares in that regard. Even without a dependable jump shot, he’s already an excellent player, that’s not really up for debate. His defense should continue to sharpen as it did last year, but entering his third season, there needs to be clear, measurable progress compared to his earlier years. Reed’s struggles, by contrast, stemmed more from confidence issues and inconsistent minutes in critical moments. It’s not an apples to apples comparison, and realistically, few fans see Reed as someone with top 10 player potential in the league anyway.
He feels more reserved at the point of attack now. Like he's not sure when to call his own shot and when not to. His mid range is fine. His floater is fine. His sideline 3 is fine. Right now nothing seems to come within the flow of the offense like it did last year. He's the clunkiest member of the squad right now. Outside of KD I think Reed might be the most fluid. Issue is that Amen's development is the most important on the team and supersedes everyone else. Sengun is better than him right now. He might be in a few years still. But Amen has the highest ceiling on the team (and in the NBA outside of one French guy). So I dont care how bad he looks on ball right now just like I dont care how many times Reed gets shot over. We need them both to develop because this team isnt going anywhere unless Amen becomes a Top 10 player or Reed literally becomes a Steph-Klay hybrid. I see a clearer path for Amen than for Reed but they both need runway.
He's not the only superstar talent on this team. And I am not really worried about his offense. He will eventually figure out how to be a better playmaker. Will he ever develop a reliable jumper? Who knows. I'm cautiously optimistic. Maybe I'm overreacting. My concern is more on the defensive side. He has gone from elite to just good. Maybe if he has figured out the offensive part, his defense will come back on top. I just don't want to see him taking away something great in order to build on something else.
Whoa, many of the remarks you made are quite questionable, yet you assert them as if they’re objective facts. I honestly don’t understand how anyone who’s watched Amen recently could claim that his mid range game, floaters, and 3 point shooting are fine. It’s obvious you’re extremely high on Amen, but if we look at things without bias, his shooting hasn’t been fine at all, it’s been subpar so far. Even his finishing, aside from uncontested dunks, has been mediocre this season. Admiring Amen doesn’t mean we should ignore what’s actually happening. His development is undoubtedly important, but you frame it as if the entire franchise’s future depends on him, which feels overstated. As a Rockets fan first and foremost, I just don’t see how giving the current version of Amen a rookie max could be justified unless he clearly surpasses Sengun overall. We have to be rational about asset management, and that’s not possible if we never take off the homerism glasses for a reality check. At least Stone has managed that part reasonably well, all things considered.
When people talk about being a "point guard" they really need to define the term. Do you just mean a guy who can dribble the ball across half court, size up his man, and then pass it to KD or Sengun? OK, I think Amen has improved at that. His handle is more secure. The more meaningful definition of "point guard" in the modern NBA is the guy who initiates primary two- or three-man actions with the ball in their hands. The vast majority of the time in the modern NBA that means some kind of PnR. Has Amen improved as a PnR handler? No, he has not. He's in the 17th percentile of PnR ball handler PPP this season. You can't be a viable PnR handler without taking and making pull up shots away from the rim. Amen's FG% is 25% on those, even while turning them down often. Amen primary initiator possessions in the halfcourt do not show signs of developing into good offense, IMO. Meanwhile, his defense and activity levels have dropped across the board elsewhere. His STL%, BLK%, ORB%, DRB% are all waaay down. I'm a huge Amen guy, and I'm sure he'll be allowed to get reps as an initiator for at least the first half of the season - but all signs are pointing to Amen's star path as a Scottie Pippen / super Shawn Marion type, not an initiator.
Convinced Amen is injured and on the sidelines in Detroit and we have spent the last month stuck with Ausar.
That may end up being the case, but I think he's earned a shot at it since he clearly envisions himself as a PG, and it's still pretty early days in the role for him. I'm interested to see how things progress for another month or two, and whether his shooting shows signs of improvement. I wonder if the alternative to Amen being the "point guard" in the half court might not be to simply rely on Sengun/KD actions instead, rather than making a trade for another player. I certainly think Amen can bring the ball up and attack in transition, in any case.
Great points. I don’t see him ever developing into a primary initiator, that’s simply not how his game is built. It also ties directly to his ability to establish a consistent jumpshot, which will likely take a few years or more. In the meantime, we shouldn’t overlook what already makes him exceptional: his defense and his off ball movement as a cutter. If you strip those elements away from Amen, he turns into just another average role player.
I don't mind Amen at PG due to the Rockets being so limited in backcourt with FVV out and this being the regular season and all. But I hope even the most Amen optimist can see that if he continues like this, then the Rockets need to get a PG at the trade deadline. Even if Reed prospers into an above average starting PG, they would still need an upgrade over Holiday as the backup, and make Amen more off-ball and secondary ball handler.
Credit btw for answering in a coherent and poignant way. We can disagree on stuff and not resort to snark or dismissive responses. Seems lost on here at times. That being said, we might be in different camps as it pertains to the direction of the team. That's where I'll start before I get on Amen. Right now we are riding KD and right now, things are fine. We are a contender because Durant is still a Top 5 player in the world (with Jokic, SGA, Giannis and Steph being the others). But we dont know when he'll decline and it will certainly happen while OKC's title window is still wide open. Right now OKC has 3 All Stars who are all quite young. SGA, Chet and Williams. Do we have something to match that? Right now, yeah. Durant, Sengun and probably Amen to a lesser degree. I think Amen is our utility guy like Chet sorta is for OKC. He's not there yet, but he's getting there. And when he does, they are going to be a nightmare. So once KD fades, what then? Do we have a player that we can comfortably say is a Top 5 player in the league? Top 10? 20? Who is that? We need that guy for when Durant declines. And as of right now we have two candidates. Maybe 3 if you are a huge Reed believer. Sengun is #1 *right now*. Amen is #2. And there are two camps when it comes to Amen. I am firmly in Camp 1 which would be give him all the opportunities to develop his offensive game. Do not relegate him to dunker spot/utility duty because that helps us win games right now. Is that where he's better? Right now, yeah. But there's way more to tap there (and frankly, thats ultimately what he wants). I think relegating him to Draymond/Pippen/Marion duty (Camp 2) is not only a disservice to him. It would be foolish. He needs to grow and he needs on ball reps to do that. I feel like he's regressed due to the increased work load so now his shot has gotten flatter and his defense isnt where it was. But he'll work through this and figure out a balance. Tell me something. Describe me a scenario in two years where we can beat OKC in the WCF. What does that look like? What do we look like? Is Sengun the Jokic heir apparent averaging triple doubles or do we trade for another hired gun like we did with KD or does one of Reed/Amen ascend?
Dunno. I just know he hasn’t improved much this year. He practiced on dribbling against full court press/changing directions and gather pull up jumper moves all summer besides the 3 pt shot but I haven’t seen him use much of it. Maybe his handling is a little better but in terms of the other tools he acquired, he hasn’t shown it. Instead he looks hesitant and not as aggressive on both ends.
