The part of mid range that most analytical teams seem to forget is that as the game gets shorter and there is less chance for variance with the three. The middle should be used as a shot. It’s where Hardens Rockets failed miserably until we got CP3. With 30 minutes left in a game fire away as many threes as you want. But with 2 minutes left we should went back to mid range. It doesn’t matter if it’s a worse shot anymore.
Is it really necessary to throw Jalen strays? He never talked bad about Houston and seemed like a good soldier, I wish him nothing but success.
It's not that anyone forgets that, it's that so few players can shoot the midrange well enough to make it a viable shot. It's like saying you should have lobs be a part of your offense.... sure that's great, unless your whole team is 5'10. The Rockets are fortunate enough to have 3 players capable of hitting the midrange at a decent rate, so they should use it. That wouldn't be the case if they all shot like Amen Thompson
I was specifically referencing harden. It was why he choked a lot in the clutch. He had a beautiful mid range game when he first got to Houston. Used it for multiple game winners. They completely abandoned it for 3s and layups. Only recently has he brought it back.
His midrange may have looked good esthetically but it has never been on par with guys like KD or CP3, it was always one of James Harden's least efficient options. Him choking at key moments in the playoffs doesn't change that.
Won't know until their careers are over...............................fans like to jump way too early
it was good initially, but he basically went away from it. I noticed when he played with CP3 he got nudged to bring it back a bit. After that first year he just stopped again but he was good when he first came here and 17-18
The Rockets are beating teams that spam 3s all game. They don't have elite interior rim protection either. The Rockets also take the fewest 3s in the league this season.
Yet if you have a middie game, it can be the best percentage shot during crunch situations in the playoffs against elite defenses. When the refs swallow the whistle, like they're gonna do on behalf of the other team's defense if we play GSW or OKC in the playoffs, driving to the rim and getting blocked or wrestled with no foul call isn't a good shot, because it means a Rocket is on the floor and it's a 5 on 4 transition opportunity for the other team while the announcers gush about how physical their defense is. Taking a contested 3 against elite perimeter defenders isn't a smart shot either.
We shall see with b2bs against grit and grinds. Why they traded and signed Adams and Capela for. Udoka has a cheat code and he is spamming it until he has to call Time Outs.
That series against San Antonio, it was pinnacle of stupidity. What happened was this: D. Morey and his coksoakers: ANALytics!!! 3s and layps ONLY!!! We're changing basketball! Revolutionization!!!! Do as the fat MBA sez!!!! Pop: Guys let Harden get inside the arc then give him 3 feet to prevent the drive. Harden:
The last 4 champ teams all rely on 3s more than middies when was the last middie team that won a ring? OKC? Bro OKC takes 6th most 3s in the league what does that tell you about 3s? If middies are great they would take more middies than 3s and they've lost 1 game all season.
You are right OKC, GSW, Denver, Miami and Celtics never won a ring cuz they relied too much on 3s instead of middies. Oh wait. Hardens sidekicks were Ryan Anderson and Gordon yet they were a top 3 seed vs other teams with multiple allstars. Thats the power of efficient basketball. Think about that.
Sengun was getting tripled teamed and Jalen was taking and missing open shots. This narative that the Warriors blitzed Jalen Green constantly is bullshit. Did he get doubled SOMETIMES YES but he also was constantly missing open shots. Its not like the Warriors changed anything in the one game Jalen was good in. No he simply made his shots because he is inconsistent. Stop trying to rewrite history. Theres nothing more annoying that.
What are you even saying? All these teams had versatile weapons. SGA (midrange king), Joker, LeBron and D.Wade, KD, etc... The Rockets OTOH lost to the Spurs, with Peak Harden (2017), and with Kawhi injured, ONLY because he wouldnt take wide-open middies. This was anti-basketball and EXTREME stupidity!
What people forget is having some midrange opens up the rest. The more things your team can do, the more adjustments you're putting the defense through.
He was not a good shooter, most of us knew or did not close our eyes to it..... Now we hoped he could find his midrange and draw fouls, that he couldn't even do. That is not to say he cannot develop in Phoenix and wherever he goes, but I think it would take him more years than Reed to be honest, he does not seem to be a great at developing.....
Sheppard is fast becoming a primary option for the Rockets because he's a fast improver on defense. The body of work that Reed put in during the off season has made him tougher and more grounded. Against Utah in 31 minutes, he had 9 deflections and four steals. Teams are finding out that driving into Sheppard is a good way to lose the ball. Iron man Jalen could play a month without having 9 deflections. This is no exaggeration. Jalen went weeks without getting his hands dirty. I chronicled this in many posts begging for defense from our shooting guard who had all the tools but little of the execution. The Rockets aren't missing Fred Van Vleet's defensive impact because Sheppard gives us more--quicker hands, stronger contests, the ability to rebound outside his area, etc. Give it a month and we can start a "Reed Sheppard has lapped FVV" thread.
