KD cares too much about his 3 point percentage to be a high volume 3 point shooter. Had no idea that his game was all about everyone else watching him iso.
Rockets in '25 and '26 seasons are 27th and 28th in 2 point FG%. Rockets this season attempt the MOST 2 pointers in the NBA. So volume + low % together, can call them WORST in league. Of course lot of that is extra shots from offensive rebounds. And since the Rockets miss a lot, it's more 2nd/3rd shot attempts on possessions But this offense is basically doubling down on what it's already league worst at
Durant to his credit is very good on 2 point FG%. Well above league average. Much much better than Jalen or Brooks can ever be. On paper and logically, Durant makes sense as an upgrade for a team that's on bottom of 2's. Its everybody else is bad at 2's. Or they don't have enough 3's making to balance out But actual on COURT is another thing lol. Since nobody else on the team can create or shoot, Durant's 2's are a more labored type of shots. So right now it's hard to tell if it's general Durant iso drag, or done out of necessity.
A made bucket is always worth more than a missed shot. I get the math on 2s and 3s. But if you can’t shoot, I’d rather you take a less efficient 2 pointer than a wide open 3.
For the most part, non-Durant middies are about 40% which is the equivalent of shooting 26% from 3. Opponents are taking away the rim so hard to get efficient 2s around the rim. Probably would be a more efficient offense letting Sengun shoot 3s every possession instead of going for midrange besides Durant.
Building a team of players who can't shoot when the game you are playing is basketball is like building a mage character in an RPG and put all the stats into strength. Trying to decide how to use such a character is a choice between two very bad decisions.
Jabari took only 3 3s last night. He should take at least 6 every game. Same with Durant. Tari needs to take more too. If opponents are packing the paint because of Sengun and Amen, there's no reason why you can't find open 3s.
That's the problem though, Udoka doesn't want a lot of 3's. In his lone season as the coach in Boston, they ranked 9th in 3PA. After he got fired, the Celtics have been 1st or 2nd in every season under Mazzulla. It really is crazy. We are 29th in 3PA but 7th in %, while we are 1st in the 2PA, but 29th in the %. It also doesn't help we are 27th in FT%.
Ime dislikes 3pt shooting. Driving to the paint and grabbing rebounds are Ime wanted. It's 1980s basketball.
??? The opponents are not packing the paint with JSJ, Durant, Reed, or Tari's man. Packing the paint basically means defenders can be more aggressive against shooters as they have backup if the shooter drives. Also, guys packed in the paint aren't static. If the Rockets get an advantage on the perimeter, guys not guarding anyone in the paint are more free to help the helper such that corner threes are easier to contest and it is hard for a roll man to get to the basket without help coming. The Rockets have averaged 13.8 wide-open threes over the last 15 games on an average percentage for wide open threes. Before mid-November, 18.7, and the percentage was 47+, which is great for open wide open threes. The threes have gotten a lot more difficult for Durant, Reed, and JSJ, at the expense of teams being more willing to let Amen and Sengun shoot threes, if they want to shoot them. The Rockets struggle to play defense and have 4 shooters on the court at the same time.
Sometimes I wonder if the Rockets have an analytic team. Do they not realize the NBA has changed? You have to shoot a good volume of threes to win in this league. That’s why most teams don’t care about KD making his shots because most of them are twos. And year after year I don’t understand why we won’t go out and get a consistent three point shooter. Every year it’s the same old crap where we’re at the bottom of the league. At least take more threes to give yourself a chance. There was no way they were beating the Celtics or Hornets. You have to take more threes to keep up with teams like those two.
It’s hard to underscore how damning this is. For a team worth billions and hundreds of millions of dollars in payroll they literally can’t do the basic work to figure this out especially when the guy that was in charge last time was the godfather of analytics . make it make sense
If Amen's and Sengun's men aren't coming out, they should be setting screens to free up the shooters. Screening is one way to force the defense to rotate or scramble that creates mismatches or missed assignments.
If Amen is screening, Sengun's man camps. If Sengun screens, Amen man camps. Having two non-shooters on the court at the same time means only one of the them is generally in the action allowing the other's man to camp. If both in the action, defenders just go under and don't really care what the offense does with the action. Watch Reed Sheppard PnRs. He generally either gets a middie if the screener's man sticks to the roll man, or hits the roll man if the screener's man comes to him. Having a free safety means the roll man does not have long before he's covered and defensive rotations are just so much quicker when the defenders are closer to the paint against non-shooters. On Reed PNRs, there are only 2 shooters on the court max with him because the Rockets don't have enough guys that can defend and shoot. Reed is sucking now such that the middies aren't falling. I was a big fan of getting DFS, because if he played like last season or like in Dallas the last couple of years there, he would have allowed FVV and Reed to run PnRs with 3 shooters on the court with either of them with either Tari as the SG or DFS/JSJ as the small ball center. I get there is a view that the Rockets have too many forwards, but the Rockets don't have enough forwards that can shoot and defend such that Reed can be the PG with three other shooters on the court. Amen could be the PG with 4 shooters on the court for small ball lineups with DFS. DFS sucking along with FVV's injury has likely taken out the way the Rockets had planned to deal with teams sagging off of Amen and Sengun.
At some point, you've got to say, "To hell with defense. Let's get all our best shooters on the floor and see what happens." Reed Holiday Tari KD Jabari Let KD and Reed create. Spread the floor with Holiday, Tari and Jabari. Do some pick and pop with Bari or Tari.
Don't be silly! That makes logical basketball sense, there's no way we're ever going to do that, are you mad?!
