2026: The Upside Thread I think this is a two part question: 1. Look at our team. How much of their potential has each player acheived? How much do they have to go? Players like KD and FVV - They are what they are -expect "no improvement" from them After his first year many of us had Amen as only scratching the surface of his potential - like only 25% NOW? How much can ge grow? 2. What players out there you think have great upside but only shown a flashes? I GUESS THE BONUS QUESTION IS: Do the Rockets have the infrastructure and personel to train and unleash these potentials? If not then who? How do we get them? Rocket River
I know KD thinks he is r****ded but I personally feel like Jabari has the most upside outside of Amen of course. The problem with Amen is its usually pretty rare for guys that have zero shooting ability to develop that. Look how many years people kept saying just wait till GA develops a shot. Smith on the other hand I think could develop a deep 3PT shot and consistent deadly midrange turnaround like Dirk. The other weakness Smith has is his ballhandling which I believe is one of the more easily fixable issues.. The problem is I don't think this current staff has the ability to really fix any of our young guys problems.
I 100% agree. I think Jabari probably has the most upside. I think he is coachable too .. . . . but we need the coaches I think Reed has upside - may need to bulk up some Mark Price like. Just play within himself Rocket River
Amen and Sengun both have upside to be perennial all stars or flawed superstars and both are close to breaking through (think LaMarcus Aldrige or Pau Gasol level talent.) Probably not 1As but both have the upside to be the second or third best players on championship teams. Reed has the upside to be an allstar level guard with even more upside if it all clicks. He is not trending towards hitting that level. Jabari and Tari have borderline allstar level upside (think Kevin Martin or Danny Granger level players) I think Jabari will hit that and be a super role player. Tari with his injury is trending to not hitting the upside. No one else on the team is worth debating because they either are past their peaks or they haven't played a minute in the NBA.
Great point about Smith being coachable. That is a huge point and factor in his development but yeah we definitely need the coaches. I wish we would bring on Sam Cassell.
JSJ and Dirk in the same sentence lawd jaysus. Clutchfans is so good for a laugh now and again. last week he was compared to KD lol. I love you guys optimism on him but it wont pan out im afraid. He would be the only young guy I would trade.
I think Jabari needs to be MEANER more selfish . . . He IMO can be Durant if he had a more "ALPHA": Mentally Sengun as well .. . . they all seems like such Nice guys We need them to HAVE THAT DOG IN THEM Rocket River
Sengun, Amen, Bari, and Tari all have some upside left in them. Sengun can turn into a league average 3pt shooter. Amen can develop a mid-range game. Bari can become a 40% 3pt shooter. Tari can shoot with more consistency. The problem is that they all play the same position. I see Sengun evolving into a PF because his 3pt shot will likely improve whereas his rim protection will not. And Amen has to be a PF because he'll never shoot well enough to be a guard or a wing. So you have to tie up over half of your cap space for guys that overlap each other. Now then, the one who can improve the most is Reed, and not just because he's the youngest. He just needs to add 10lbs of muscle to become a more consistent shooter and a decent defender. If he gets 25+ minutes a night from Ime (a big "if"), I think he'll breakout next season.
Watch Kevin Durant rookie season tape. No one on the Rockets has that raw talent and honestly, no young player in the NBA does. I am certain that no one on the Rockets can get close to a KD level career or player. There are really only 2 or 3 young players in the NBA that I think have that in them. Wemby, Flagg and Harper.
I largely agree with this except I don't really see All Star++ upside for Reed. I think his absolute best-case scenario is along the lines of Darius Garland. Fringe all-star who might make it onto one or two all-star teams.
If it clicks and i think its a big stretch, I see a lot of CP3's ability to get to the mid range in him. Rockets didn't seem to go to that a lot. I don't see the play making upside there but I do see the ability to get his shot even as a short guy. When he's hot from three its automatic. He's had stretches of special play but seems to get down on himself easily. I also think he GIVES A DAMN on defense and anything he can't do is purely physical and mental. Biggest boom or bust on the roster without a doubt. I could see him being an end of rotation guy who gets 10 MPG.
Reed has actually shown flashes. His problem is consistency. He has the talent to pass, dribble, get to the rim. defense, shoot. He just needs to do it more. Thats the type of guy who can be an allstar not Jabari who has shown flashes of nothing. He cant dribble pass and his shot is average at best. He will likely always be a role player. I think people are stuck on the playoffs lol
I know that is a high bar. . . but you know he could be a poor man's Durant or a Rich Man's Robert Horry Rocket River
I agree that I see a lot of CP3 in his shooting ability. Where I don't see it is in the point guard skills or defense. In particular, he picks up his dribble too often and doesn't seem confident dribbling through traffic, and does not seem to have that instinctive, elite court vision of a high-end point guard. I see him as a 6-7 assist guy in his prime. Maybe he can become an average defender if he bulks up enough and gets a bit smarter about when to gamble for steals.
I agree and I hate to even mention such an all time great with him because that outcome is not plausible as an overall player. He's still very raw and maybe Ime's tight leash will pay off in the end.
Maybe Horry but thats a huge leap too because Horry was like a star in the playoffs. So Horry but regular season Horry. If we keep Bari I would love to be wrong but some of these takes on him have a BIG homer lense.
Who has the most upside? I take this two ways... 1.) Who has the highest ceiling - and I think Amen does. With a jump shot he is an all NBA player. Who has the most growth upside from the level he played at last year? Clearly Reed Sheppard. Reed should still improve dramatically in a number of ways... defensively, as a floor leader, with his consistency, BUT he doesn't have the highest upside ceiling. Reed's upside ceiling is as a fringe all-star. Amen (and Sengun) are both already fringe all-star level players. I don't think Jabari has the highest ceiling or much more relative growth left - he could go from 15-16 points & 7/8 rebounds to a fringe all-star level but I don't see anything else unless he develops his game much more on a relative basis than he has his first 4 years.
He's already an above average defender for a guard. I feel like there's something wrong with Clutchfans eye test. Maybe because Reed is white? I dont know lol but he does play defense.
Jabari is not quick, strong or skilled... I'm not sure where y'all see the potential. To me, he's a 3 and D guy at best, but he's a bit slow footed to defend perimeter players and too small to defend bigs. He's also not particularly good at the 3s and I feel like his mechanics and shot trajectory don't project to him improving much there either.
