For those wondering if these Rockets are the worst team of all time, the stats actually say no, but not by much. Going by SRS alone, the only teams the Rockets come in better than are the 11 win 92-93 Mavs, the 70-71 Cavs, and the infamous 7-win Bobcats. This team, the post-Harden Rockets, so far, is worse than the Post-Jordan Bulls, the Process 76-ers, the post-LeBron Cavs, and any iteration of the Clippers, T-Wolves, and Kings. Most insane thing is that for as bad as the team is, we're underpeforming out point differential on top of that. We should be on pace for 10-12 wins, we're on pace for 5. Big reason I was never in favor of the league trying to reduce tanking, some teams simply throw in the towel and lose more games than they should, but some teams are just that bad, and desperately need more talent.
Homeboy got lost on the worlds slowest crossover lamo. Took a look at his NBADraft.net profile, and the Kevin Durant comparison is laughable. I'm an incredibly biased observer either way, as both a UT fan who watched KD back in the day and someone who's rooting for Chet because I want to see a white american dominate in the NBA. Durant averaged 25 per game on near 50-40-90 shooting in college, in the best basketball conference in the country. If he listed himself at 7'0" instead of 6'9" he'd go #1 overall in all but one draft in the last 45 years, 2003 (maybe 1992). Everyone is so fixated on his shooting that people forget how insane of an athlete he is for his size. Chet is nice so far, but the speed, the quickness, the length (Durant has 2 inches of wingspan over Chet), and the shooting touch are nowhere near Durant's level. On top of that, Durant did this at 18, Chet is 19 right now. Not to say Chet won't become a star, but for hyped up draft comps, Dirk (Mid-2000s version that regularly smoked bigs off the dribble, not 2010s Dirk that only shot jumpers) is a more realistic comp. His success will come from his ability to hit jumpers at an elite rate. He's a smart defender (3.4 BPG!!!) and should pair very well with Sengun and create chaos under the rim. If he applies himself and avoids injury, he'll make a number of All-NBA teams at least, but comparing him to the best prospect since LeBron to this day is absurd.
I wouldn't say laughable but I agree, I don't think he'll be the scorer Durant is, but that is a very short list all time. I've heard Durant, Garnett, Porzingis comparisons etc. Mostly I think it's about the lean frame and unicorn skillset, not the same players but they all were unique in thier size/abilities. I don't think Dirk fits either because Dirk never had defensive potential or impact like this. He was an exceptional shooter and offensive player but was an average to decent as a defensive player for most of his career. Also I don't focus on his race, but like him because he and Paolo are two of the best star potential players in this draft who happen to be white and biracial, black/Italian. Chet has also grown and so has his wingspan. He's listed at a 7'6 wingspan in this Gonzaga article. So matching or higher than Durant if those are accurate. Chet Holmgren Bio: HIGH SCHOOL: the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with the Zags ... versatile 7-1 prospect is the top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2021 by ESPN and 247 Sports ... has a seven-foot, six-inch wingspan ... high school teammate and 2020-21 Gonzaga standout, Jalen Suggs, was the Bulldogs' previous highest-ranked recruit as No. 6 in the Class of 2020 https://gozags.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/chet-holmgren/3945 As for the crossover, Chet has been doing that for awhile to opposing defenders. This is him at 16 or 17 years old doing it to Steph Curry. Here are his highlights from last game. The numbers don't do him justice as it was a blowout but he dominated the #2 UCLA team defensively.
I’m fine with either Chet or Paolo. Would we too slow with Segun and Chet in the lineup? Haven’t seen a ton of games for either one, so looking forward to watching both closely all season. If their progression is close and we have a choice, I would take Paola because he would be a better fit. Assuming our rookies work out, a lineup of KPJ, Green, Garuba, Banchero, and Segun could be amazing. Of course, KPJ, Green, KJM, Segun, and Chet might be pretty awesome as well.
If the Rockets draft Chet Holmgren I’ll buy season tickets again. watching this young man play gets me excited about basketball. Paulo looks good too but IMO Iv seen him in the NBA already he looks like Julius Randall which I certainly would take on this team he’s a stud. but Chet looks like some kind of made up player. He’s gonna be really good or really bad but if he is god he’s a defensive player of the year guy who avg 20/10/5. when I watch him dribble being lanky he looks like KD he’s shotblocking looks like Anthony Davis in college and his turn around fades look like Dirk. He’s an intriguing player. I want the rockets to get him.
Paolo and Chet are playing each other right now on ESPN. Banchero has almost half of Duke's points at halftime.
2023 Tank Prospect Sterling "Scoot/a" Henderson The Santa Cruz Warriors featured both Moody and Kuminga on this night, and yet it was the G-League Ignite's 17 yr old phenom that stole the show. They say his favorite color is (Rockets) red.
