Too late to trade Sengun. He’s now on a decline. always trade when they are hot, not basketball but real life trading.
Losing Jalen, Dillon, and FVV devastated our perimeter defense. Amen no longer was able to roam and help or simply be put on the best perimeter scorer. Our perimeter defense should improve with the return of FVV and especially when Smart is in the game opposite Amen. Durant is still a weak link and the injury concerns about Smart and FVV could put our defense in a tailspin once again. I can understand, not agree, but understand a defense first approach under Ime, but why would you add so much risk into the equation with old guys that can’t stay on the floor in FVV, Smart, and Adams. It just makes no sense.
Exactly. He is not a defensive stalwart like Gobert, Mobley, etc. but he is still in the negative while being top ten in FGA defended, right? Come on, for a "bad defender" the statistics seem to indicate he is anything but. An all-time great? Definitely not, but a serviceable defender? Absolutely.
He's a center. I'd guess guys like Jalen Green make nearly every center negative. This list reads as guys that cover lots of ground to contest everything and guys that are targeted (Jokic, Queen).
Jalen Green became a good defender his last year here, but it is the current lack of perimeter defense and Ime’s switching schemes involving Sengun that are problematic. Sengun is not the traditional rim protector, but he is fine guarding the post. With better perimeter defense he is fine, not elite, but fine. If FVV and Marcus Smart can actually stay on the floor, our overall defense should improve this year, although Durant is still a negative.
Jalen Green improved his point-of-attack defense, but that is not the same as becoming a good overall defender. His off-ball awareness, help rotations, and contests around the rim were still poor, and those weaknesses became more noticeable after Amen entered the starting lineup and took many of the toughest perimeter assignments, pushing Green more off-ball. I would still consider Jalen a negative defender over his Rockets tenure. He was not good enough to anchor the point-of-attack defense, and his off-ball mistakes were significant. Sengun is very good defending the post. The problem is that he is not an effective full-time drop center, and he cannot be asked to switch regularly against high-level perimeter creators. Houston therefore often has to play him at the level of the screen, which puts more pressure on the weak-side defenders to tag the roller and rotate correctly. When Amen became a starter, Jalen Green often was put in position to tag the roller. And if Jalen Green qualifies as a positive defender, then Durant probably does too. Durant has declined, but his size, length, rebounding, and help defense still give him more defensive value than Jalen provided easily.
Sengun be catching strays from rookies, player votes, and reddit lol. Gotta trade him https://www.reddit.com/r/NBATalk/s/okzF0HVte9
I think Sengun's defense is passable. He's not going to be confused with an all-time great, and even comparing him to other Houston centers isn't fair. We're sort of spoiled by having decades of plus/plus defenders at the center position. Sengun's hands and timing are good/above average; his athleticism always surprises people. He's vastly improved in sliding his feet, though he still has a way to go. He'll always have limitations on this side of the court. But offensively, he attempts far too many shots while crashing into or flailing against other players. This will make his career shorter. I think his overall defense would be better if he wasn't playing hurt (knees, back, etc.) from fighting with guys and absorbing all that contact. It's unnecessary and not helping him succeed. Karl Malone figured out how to add 10 years of basketball life by adding a 15-footer. It isn't too late to change. If Sengun could be steady from 15 feet, his inside game would be much easier. And he definitely needs to be able to spin, avoid crashing into traffic, plant, and go up for the dunk. My encouragement is to not try to shoot tons of 3s. Develop a steady 15–18-footer. I'd like that shot far more than his one-legged moon ball that he hopes will go in.
"Bro saw one tick tock an came to this conclusion" best comment on there. Rookies going to feel different when he glides past him, Giannis and their other center at the same time, at 1/2 speed plus the foul. His numbers check out with every star since stats were a thing. The only question is will he be a superstar of the face of the league type player. There are only 8 of those and right now it's not looking that way.
Just playing with a reliable playmaker would do wonders for Sengun avoiding physical punishment. Him playing point center and trying to bully his way to the hoop from beyond the three point line takes a toll. Two seasons ago 65% of Sengun's field goals were assisted, this past season it was down to 45%. It's not like playing more off ball hurt his production either, 23-24 was actually his highest scoring average of his career while his efficiency was above league average. The past two seasons his efficiency has been below average. I'd love to see Sengun get the ball more on the short roll where he can still leverage his passing skills, but not to have bang or create off the dribble so much. Our pick and roll was almost non-existent last season. If Sengun could add a reliable midrange shot like Pau Gasol it would be great, but the results haven't been promising so far.
