While there is a great deal of clamor for a pg, I think that is not the fundamental issue with this current team. I wonder if FVV can solve it if he were playing, but my own observation is that the main players, especially KD and Alpi, and to some extent Bari, tend to try to score as soon as they get the initial pass from whoever is the ball handler, Amen or Reed. They immediately make their move to score even in the face of double and triple teams that opponents throw at them, knowing their tendencies through scouting. I think they need to make adjustments in their initial attack. I think, if Ime wants the pg to pass to KD or Alpi upon crossing the half court, the two main players should initiate the ball movement to throw off and disorganize the defense until they find their favorite spots to score. The other players should also try to move to get into favorable spots when they don't have to just stand around and watch KD and Alpi do their own thing. Essentially, the burden is not on the pg but on the willingness of KD and Alpi to change the tendencies and make it a point to initiate the ball movement first to allow for the best available shot. They need to get rid of the Iso mentality because opponents have figured them out.
numbers are what they are... Charles Barkley just said "There's only 2 teams that can beat OKC - Spurs and Rockets - thats it..." i feel like our boys are still figuring it out... when push comes to shove - hopefully guys stay in their lane and play within themselves... Jabari takes the low lying fruit for put backs and doesnt try dribbling and pressing... Sengun plays in the paint and stops trying to shoot 3s... If Amen could just get a few more of these bunnies to drop... KD commits to being a better facilitator - or they go another route on that... still developing Reed,,, i do not feel that we are seeing a finished product... but rather a work in progress....
I agree. The Rockets are figuring it out. But they need more team cohesion than "We are going to muscle you on the boards." Everyone in the NBA can get ready for that game plan.
It’s all coaching. All coaching. He doesn’t draw up any offensive plays for them. All he does is bench who he wants to bench to send a message to sto Tahts an Ime coaching issue, not a Durant issue.
Totally agree. I'm an Ime fan. Love the culture and I'm glad he's ours, but the lack of in game "coaching" is maddening to watch. I think KD can be the answer, we might be the most talented and skilled team we've ever had, and it's the coaches job to get the pieces to work. Now maybe Ime is trying. Maybe he's calling for specific plays or actions and the players are ignoring him. But if this is the case then it's still a coaching issue. Which team will we see tonight in the Laker game? I wish I knew. Ugh.
That first clip was terrible, Sengun is not that type of star player. He’s a just real good player, he shouldn’t be waving anyone off to go iso. No true go to moves, can’t shoot. He’s too slow and clumsy to be doing all that bs. It’s just bad basketball overall, and it starts with the idiot coach. Play JD Davidson. These players need defined roles, making Alpi the main playmaker is not working out because he’s slow and sloppy. Same with KD, slow and sloppy, all he does is pull for contested mid range shots. That’s his entire offensive game now, he rarely ever catches the ball in the post with this team, I’m not impressed. Get a point guard or play the ones we have!
KD was never the one that carry the team to W. His floor is 25ppg while shooting very efficient, if he is serious about winning he gives you like extra 5-6pts with couple more attempts and that’s it. If your team would’ve won the game by <5 pts w/o KD once you add KD you win by +13pts. Right now our players other KD aren’t good enough to win a game and it was KD who even gave us a chance of being close. Do you really think Kings, Jazz, Blazers, Hornets, Pelicans are that much worse than KD less Rockets? I would even go and say our team without KD is good for 7-20
I really think it is as simple as us needing somebody to play point guard for about 25 minutes a game. The other 23 minutes can go to Amen, Reed, Senhub or the occasional play where Durant is the initiator.
it was funny u mentioned "fool's gold" previously... bc thats always how i referred to Harden... yeh he can get u so many points, he can beat many teams singlehandedly... but unless we diversified our scoring, in the playoffs, teams can effectively shut down 1 guy.... so D12 wasnt nearly as effective but we needed to develop other scoring options - not just rely on Harden bc he's so uber efficient... we didnt, and got bounced in the first round... i feel like Ime i still exploring options... like theres a poster on here Downtown Sniper? who constantly complains about Ime having Sengun shoot from distance when Alpi is obviously more effective in the paint... to me, it looked like Alpi was shotting well early and Ime was trying to see if he could be developed into a stretch 4 option that could run alongside Adams... which would have been great... but looks like we are abandoning that.... still experimenting... but i say maximize whatever points of differential u have... Steven is obviously a rebounding monster... i say hammer that - while we continue to figure out other aspects... and hopefully find enough points of differential to rise to the top... as opposed to just trying to copy somebody else (GSW 3 point shooting) and losing bc they do that bc that is THEIR point of differential... THEY have great distance shooters... ur not going to outshoot them, u need to find a way to play to your strengths while hammering their weakness...
We have highly skilled and talented players that aren’t being utilized because they are system players. They excel at doing little things that helps others be more productive, successful and more competitive. Read and react will never get your highest efficiency players in their spots to make timely decisions that carryover to just easer basketball. We play so hard for each point. We never run any plays that are just for given, most points are contested or missed then muscle hustled in. (Pick-up game style basketball). It’s big me little you baseball. This is winning basketball when everything else goes wrong. It can work but it’s taxing on players and most coaches call a time out and take back their team’s play by playing to their strengths.
