Who starts doesn’t really matter. Who actually gets minutes does. That said, starting does matter in one way: I’d rather open with a strong defensive unit to set the tone and keep the other team from getting into an early rhythm. BB is a rhythm game, and you don’t want to gift anyone an easy path into it. That’s why I don’t love the idea of Sengun guarding a so-called non-shooter, only to watch that guy turn into a sniper that same night (even though I get the game plan). And it’s why the Harden years frustrated me at times. I had high expectations, but it drove me crazy seeing random guys go off and drop career highs on those Rockets teams.
Offensive yes, defensively doubt it, but worth a try I guess. If I was Jabari, I’d be extremely pissed about it though. Despite what the haters say, he is playing really well this year and has made a lot of improvements. Most 22 years old are inconsistent. Reed, Amen, Jabari, Tari, and Sengun all suffer from the same affliction, being very young.
I think this is a nuance most of Clutch fans don’t get and why Reed isn’t in the starting unit. Another issue is fit with Durant. Ime should be in the lab with Durant and Reed every off day figuring out a way for them both to get fed.
Amen, KD, Jabari, Sengun... with Reed = net rating of +9.3 with Okogie = net rating of +9.8 with Tari = net rating of +30.9 with Adams = net rating of -4.3 Why is this even a question of who should be the 5th starter? Seems pretty obvious to me.
This is a crazy small sample size but the same thing held true last year on a full season sample, and the "crazy net rating when you add Tari to a lineup" trend has held for multiple years now, so I think the point is still valid.
Play the lineup with Sheppard and Eason that has a higher net rating than any with JSJ? Caveat: small sample size, but nearly the highest total +/- of any Rockets lineup.
According to NBA.com, the lineup has been used in 8 games for a total of 39 minutes. https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/a...oupQuantity=5&TeamID=1610612745&slug=advanced
agreed, that would be a weird decision for the rockets too with his contract. Hes improving his game and has a strong future imo. Given that, the acknowledgment of him via that contract and then to sit him because a part-time but effective player is stomping his feet a bit would be mismanagement 101.
This is pretty wild and almost hard to believe. You gotta take the bad with the good, but Tari fits this team so well.
