Because I don't have a problem saying that both Sengun and Reed need to work on their defense.... though that is a shortcoming that is very much overstated. I'm not saying that other players need to be DPOY caliber defensive players to make up for imperfections in their game.... it's just imperfections in their game.
Sengun is a very good player - he is an all star. However he has always given me Kevin Love vibes. If he becomes a 38% shooter from 3 with decent volume - he can become a top 5-10 player in the NBA, even with mediocre defense and rip protection --- because he would be able to act as an actual primary initiator on an elite team. He passes well, he can score inside, he rebounds -- and he can post up.... if he can hit 3's, he could average 28 points a game with 8-10 assists a night. If the Rockets do not think that he will even shoot well from the outside - then they should be open to moving him for the right player that is a two way player. Same with Amen and his shot -- if he can learn to shoot, he can be a Kawaii Leonard type player --- if he doesn't, then he is a very good role player like Larry Nance.
I agree the mix as it sits is not working. I do think drafting Amen and Sengun were correct decisions even though their shooting is the toughest to build around regarding mix. FVV is a career 37% shooter from 3 on high volume. He had a slump early in 24-25, but was near career averages after mid-December through the playoffs. FVV can shoot from 3 when not needed to be a pull-up 3-point shooter. KD fixes his achilles heal regarding shooting. FVV is small such that he's not an efficient scorer inside the arc.
He's a better passer, he sometimes shows the ability to actually play solid defense (he is inconsistent though), and he's more capable of creating his own shot or shots for others outside the flow of a well-spaced, well-coached offense. There's three.
Maybe? Probably. I think a big part of the problem is that the Rockets did not really have a real philosophy or vision for how they wanted to build a team or the type of players. They did not establish a strong core of basketball people in the front office, coaching and player development arena that all shared a general philosophy that would carry over into the draft and then development of players. They had a new GM with a very small front office staff, and they brought in two younger writers to help with scouting. They brought in a rookie head coach and a mediocre staff. They lacked anyone that actually coached successfully at the NBA level at any point recent. They lacks an Executive President or Executive Vice President to oversee the basketball operations. So they have a very small group of people handling the draft - without a wider picture, and essentially just threw these guys together for several years with inferior support and development. Afterwards they brought in the Head Coach and new staff -- but still lack anyone other than their head coach with any real deep understanding of basketball. We will have to wait and see. Last year was a real down year for Fred across the board. He is over 30 now and I have concerns about his shooting going forward, he has shot 34% from 3 in 2 of the last 3 seasons. Fred also has issues creating for himself or anyone else - he does protect the ball extremely well though.
I went back to provide highlights to show their similarities between the two. They both primarily score around the basket and their both great passers, as you can see from the video. However, from looking at the video, Sabonis appears to be more athletic and forceful than Sengun. What do you see?
Did you want me to post a whole game to support my analysis? I don't think most people attention span is that long. Don't you? I just wanted to give a certain amount of plays, so people could get an indication of what bith players do well and what better way, than showing highlights.
Reed is the only player on this squad that is already expected to be perfect. He is literally under a microscope every play. He can do 5 things right, then after a bad turnover it’s like “see…see we can’t play him.” Nobody else on the team is held to that standard. Amen (who I love) is allowed to make all the mistakes he wants, and he is better as a ball handler for it. If only Reed would be treated the same, because we all know he has flashes damn near every game where he looks great running the offense, better than Amen. It be one thing if it was only fans reacting to Reed this way, but it’s the coach too.
On the Sabonis-Sengun comparisons: Per 36 min Sabonis at 23yrs old: 18 pts/ 5 assists/ 12 rebounds/ .5 blocks/ .8 steals Per 34 min Sengun at 23yrs old: 21 pts/ 6 assists/ 9 rebounds/ 1 block/ 1.4 steals Sengun is a better defender and a better passer. Sabonis is a better rebounder and that’s about it. I’d bet on Sengun becoming a much better player than Sabonis.
I don't take it as that. I just take it as what Sabonis does best, since we, as Rocket's fans, already know what Sengun does best, correct?
