Yes. This is what I was trying to say. Silas kept Sengun on the bench because of foul trouble, but there was no point in doing that. Unfortunately, he will probably do the same with Tari. Barring some miracle we are going back to the lottery and this is another experimentation and development year. Just doesn’t make sense to me. Tari needs all the minutes he can get so that when we are ready to compete he is ready. Gordon getting 20-25 minutes is insane, unless we are actually winning games. If Tate is still crap at hitting 3’s Tari should get more minutes than him or at least let them split the SF duties.
Silas likely kept Sengun on bench early because of: 1) stamina 2) foul trouble 3) Wood and Sengun didn't mix well. 4) Trying to avoid having too many rookies on court at same time early to help each rookie develop more easily. Of those 4 reasons, I'd guess foul trouble was the least worrisome. My guess is that even if Tari is looking great in camp, they will not start Tari early as they will prioritize developing Smith early.
Tari has more talent than Tate but much less control. At least right now, he's still only a rookie. If Tari plays disciplined and hits 35% or more from 3 while being a competent slasher then there's no reason to start Tate over him. Tate got extended on a team friendly deal (which is what I'm assuming the KPJ deal will look like) to maintain flexibility and a potential trade chip moving forward. I just don't see this team being an overt lottery team this year though. I can see 35 wins just from their new focus on defense alone. Last year we basically punted games at the end of the year so last year's teams ceiling was probably a 25-27 win team if we're keeping it 100.
Tari put up better college numbers last year, why would this surprise you now? If drafting was about who is the best right now, Keegan Murray would have gone #1 since he had the best college season. Jabari is a full 2 years younger than Tari, let’s see what Jabari can improve on the next two years and then compare him to the Tari we see today.
defense I think he also has a better sense of playing within a team structure - passing, when to shoot, etc… but that might just be because he’s not playing to prove anything about himself while Tari seems to always want to prove something (awesome if not gone overboard, aka Josh C.)
35 wins is still a lottery team. It’s not top 5 bad, but shouldn’t make the playoffs. I think that Tari should be getting 25 mins from the get go, just don’t think Silas will let him lose. He loves Tate and Gordon and as long as they are on the team, he will prioritize their minutes. Hope, I’m wrong. At least, Silas won’t have Tari’s conditioning as an excuse like Sengun last year. I liked the extension for Tate and think he will be a terrific role player off the bench. Our defense is going to be very good this season, regardless of whether it’s Tate or Tari with Jabari. Sengun is also a better defensive player than Wood and will show that this year. I do believe defensive rebounding could still be an issue for a while until the rookies can learn team defense and how to block out. This is an area I think Jabari needs to improve.
Y'all say Tari should be starting but you have to realize the competition Tari has been playing against up to this point. College level guys. Once the games count in regular season it's going to get a LOT harder out there. Rockets are going to play slop ball if they roll out nothing but Rookies and Sophomores in a league dominated with vets. NBA vets are too crafty for Rookies and can make even the most highly scouted Rookies look stupid.
Man come on, Sengun has great skills but he is not good enough to be the focus of the offense and teams will figure him out - he will be a fine NBA player but not a star one. Luis Scola part 2. DD
At age 19, Sengun had more assists per game than Scola did in any season during his NBA career and scored more efficiently than Scola in all, but one season. Sengun likely won't be a star based on his defense, but I'm expecting Sengun to be significantly better than Scola. I'm also expecting Sengun will be better overall going forward than Wood was last year.
That settles it. Sengun all-star by year 3. Sengun does not need to be “the focus” of the offense. He is already our best passer. He was the best post offensive player in the league even while being held back by his coach. The Rockets are going to be truly unique with 3 primary ball handlers with KPJ, Green, and Sengun. If Silas is really the offensive genius he is being proclaimed to be this offense can be 4-5 out, PnR, dribble drive. They are also going to be outstanding in transition if their defense steps up like we hope. Depending on match-ups Sengun can be a low post scorer, passer or point center at the top of the circle. He might not get the all-star votes because his numbers might look pedestrian, but his value to the Rockets will be at all-star level. Mark Gasol would be a much better comp. Sengun has Scola post moves and Gasol’s court vision and bbiq. If he can get to 35% 3pt shooting he will be an elite offensive player.
I expect Eason to play KMJ's role, about 20 mpg off the bench for hustle and energy. Eason is an upgrade to Martin. If he works well, KMJ will likely be granted his wish and be traded, probably for a 2nd round pick or so.
