Could any 18-year-old center that ever lived have fixed last year's defense?

Agreed lol, shoulda done that last year too imo

 

being "productive" is relative. It depends on what someone is looking for it to mean. I'm more focused on how this productivity is translating to positivity and winning games. That's why I won't put these superstar/star labels until players are able to show much more and prove they are on that actual track.

 

OK fine. We will see.

 

Banchero is a PF.... that means you have to play Sengun at C..... neither player is a real rim protector that the Rockets will need........ that means that the Rockets will have to stagger their minutes. It isn't a good fit at all defensively. Theoretically the Rockets could get away with it some if they had two really strong guards that would pressure the backcourt and cause turnovers and deflections but that isn't the type of player Green is.

Paul and Harden was a different situation. First, both are top 50 players of all time, but second, they both could shoot and handle the ball well. The limitations were not as severe.

I wouldn't give Sengun up for less than fair value, but if I can get someone that fits the Rockets needs AND the Rockets think highly of, I would do it.

Tari Eason for example could be the Rockets starting 3 and small ball 4. Eason defends well, has a 7'2" wingspan, switches very well and gets lots of steals and blocks and protected the paint at times. He also is a solid shooter and scorer.

 

I'm confused: you say you're focused on how productivity translates to positivity and winning games. Positivity is pretty subjective but, by all accounts, I don't think anyone on the roster has said anything negative about Sengun or showed any ill will towards the kid. When he's on the floor, he hustles his ass off, gives effort on both ends of the court and plays with passion. Kid got into foul trouble way too many times but that's not because he's clueless. By all accounts Sengun's attitude is what you'd want out of a cornerstone player.

As for winning games, he technically has more wins in his career than Jalen Green but I'm not going to say Sengun > Green after their rookie season. I certainly didn't label Sengun as a superstar or star at his point in his career but being able to look at data and see what kind of production he put up as a 19 year old rookie against past rookie performances has value in it: we know where his floor is and where his ceiling could be.

 

Not sure how positivity is pretty subjective. I mean its pretty simple, are you contributing to winning games or not. Positive production leads to winning game play. Him getting into foul trouble goes towards one of his weaknesses of defense. He's never going to have the size, length, or athleticism to be great on that end. I didn't say anyone on the roster said anything negative about him. it's a locker room full of primarily kids. They're all trying to find a place in this league and learn how to survive together as of now. Right now Sengun is that piece folks by default fans are high on and want to love. Until....another shiny piece arrives. This happens a ton with teams and are currently doing this with Wood. Who in year 1 was putting up very nice numbers and folks around here were so excited about the prospects going forward. Now folks can't wait to get rid of him and dissect his obvious flaws.

 

Yes, Kareem could have, as could have Sampson.

DD

 

Sengun has a very high basketball IQ and it was obvious to anyone that really watched his tape, that he was not terribly mobile but more mobile than what was being claimed. He would likely be playable defensively if he had a long 3 and 5 that could switch next to him. Well he appears to be ticketed for C if the Rockets draft Banchero. So his defensive short comings are more of a concern.

He can and probably will be a pretty good offensive player. If his shooting comes around he could push for 20 points a night in his prime which is damn good.

I suspect he will have a career like Mehmet Okur, which is pretty good.

 

I took your positivity comment as an intangible because that's how I read it so thanks for clarifying that mistake on my part. Let me know what qualifies as positive production from your perspective because, statistically, you're not going to find a lot of positives from the team with the worst record in the NBA.

 

Definitely true, which is why I'm not going to label any of these said guys future superstars/stars until I can see more that actually supports winning play. I think Sengun has a good bball iq and he definitely plays hard, Agree there.

 

tbh I can literally see the Sengun vs Banchero thread being created already

 

For all of his physical limitations Sengun was 13th in the league for block % among all players who averaged 20 minutes or more (50+ games played). Of that group, the only rookie that was ahead of him was Mobley but not even that much, 4.1% for Sengun vs 4.4% for Mobley. His blocks came, more or less, as a helping defender but that's still pretty valuable in the grand scheme of things for Alperen to improving into an above average defender.

 

I’ll start it soon lol

 

Even being a huge Sengun Stan, I would move Sengun if he's impeding Banchero's ability to reach that All-NBA level. Basically anything that can help this team get back into championship contention.

 

it's going to be interesting how that plays out if Paolo becomes a Rocket for sure

 

don't forget to shout me out if so

 

For sure. If it’s obvious.
I would move Banchero as well if he was impeding Green or Alp progress.

 

I hope it won't be a bloodbath here but you're right...it's highly probable. I just want this team to be good again, regardless of who stars for this team.

 

We would need a DPOY level player if Sengun, Banchero, and Green are expected to play starting minutes if we ever want to have a competitive team.

My mind goes to one place, what is the Magic going to do with Isaac? They are going to have Smith or Holmgren, with Franz and Carter as the 3 front-court starters, before Isaac went down 2 years ago he was displaying flashes of Rudy Gobert like defensive impact in the paint, with the ability to guard the perimeter, with the ability to hit the corner 3, and still has some potential for offensive creation to be added as well.

Isaac has a weird off the court political personality, he's been out for 2 years from a ACL and hamstring tear, but I'd still be very interested in poaching him due to the potential impact he could have here.