@Sengoat28 whether you're starting your career or ending it, we all have had bosses or experiences that didn't treat us fair or how we thought we should be treated. I refer to these as character building experiences and they do as much to shape us as the good/great environments we also enjoy. Alpi and all of our young guys would have benefited from Ime/his staff from there first year(s), but that didn't happen. Be happy we have a great coach/staff now and we've started to turn it around. Life isn't always as you want it to be, but that makes the times it is so special. GO ROCKETS!!
Exactly. Look at how we catered the offense, initially, to Green and KPJ. Arguably, this ruined Green, who now does not seem to know how to play winning ball. I realize it's not a perfect comparison, but starting with a little adversity often molds guys like Sengun. He even said as much -- he's mentioned in interviews that he really enjoys how Ime is tough on him as he responds well to tough coaching.
Exactly! The old wise quote. "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Has surfaced in my own life many times. I think Alpi went from a great situation in Turkish League to a sh_t show in Hou, and now back to a strong staff that is pushing him to be great. Alpi, Bari and Tari have all responded. Green is trying to transition from diva scorer to professional shooting guard, and the metamorphosis has not been easy, nor is it guaranteed.
Good point! BTW, I was able to finally watch the DAL and NO games. Bari is really starting to play well. He can be an elite shooter and maybe an even great scorer as he continues to work on his ball handling/finishing. However, I most impressed by his rebounding. Despite still being skinny and young, he's getting some tough rebounds and we need that badly. Very excited by his progress!
YOU can hold that grudge all you want, but here’s the thing: the Rockets are in position this summer to make Alperen an extremely wealthy man. If he turns that down because of holding petty grudges, that’d be an uniquely stupid decision.
Doesn’t seem like many people are noticing but Green has been mixing it up trying to get boards lately too. Udoka is making it a point of emphasis for everyone.
I noticed it. Have to say though, many (not all) of them are uncontested defensive rebounds where his only "competition" for the boards would be Alpi (mostly) or Bari, they usually just let him get them. But yeah, he can jump really high, so I always wondered why he wouldn't go for rebounds more (like Tari does, for instance).
Yes, three areas Green has been better at this year have been--rebounding, FT%, and overall defensive effort.
I did NOT see this level of year over year progression coming for Jabari. If the last 5 games are his new baseline he is finally simmering. His offensive decision making and assertiveness have taken big steps forward. Just keep hitting that weight room! With KPJ gone this leaves The Black Mumble and the rooks as the remaining undercooked prospects. The rebuild is definitely progressing.
Yeah, agree but I did see him snatch a few out of the air that he probably would have lost in seasons past. I only point it out for the “Jalen doesn’t play winning basketball” camp. The narrative is his value is only based on his scoring and if he isn’t scoring then he is a net negative to this team and that was 100% true previous to Udoka but when he secures rebounds that otherwise would have went to the other team or contests shots, then the equation for his usefulness on this team changes whether people are realizing it or not. I think if he can continue to do those things and get better at them(defending and rebounding), he is still a useful member of this team even if he isn’t the scoring juggernaut people had hoped. Jabari is a good example of a player that we are starting to see his usefulness to this team finally but it’s not with him as a #1 option like in his college years. He doesn’t have the chops to read a defense and attach weaknesses - but you get him the ball quickly while the defense is rotating and he CAN make the defense pay by making a quick move and playing in rhythm - just don’t expect him to “read” NBA defenses at a high level other than attacking close outs/rotations or getting putbacks from attacking the boards. …I guess I’m using Jalen and Jabari as examples of shifting our perspective from what we thought we had to what we actually have to make the best of it. The narrative often gets in the way of real evaluations.
I just love the emergence of Jabari Smith Jr. and hope it continues. It also somewhat shows how a competent system can put players in a position to maximize their contributions to winning basketball. On top of his vastly improved offensive efficiency, his defense and rebounding are also much better. Jabari now has the same VORP (Value over Replacement Player) at .7 as Banchero and Wagner. From the 2022 draft, Banchero and Chet are a year older than Jabari, so Jabari breaking out in his 2nd year is incredible. He is now projecting as a fringe all-star as a floor for his future development. Jabari is actually having a better age 20 season than Sengun - but I don't hold that against Sengun as it is pretty much certain his game was being held back by the previous coaching staff/system. He has the best advanced stats this season for any player 20 years or younger in the NBA- Branden Podz has a VORP of .5 as the next best VORP. Derek Lively Jr. beats him by a bit on WinShares per 48, but Jabari has many more WinShares because he plays more and hasn't been injured. Can't wait for the rematch against Orlando at home. Jabari has been showing some Alpha dog behavior lately and I am looking forward to a rematch against Orlando to see Jabari go 20/10 at least.
Replacing him with Bruno is not giving an opportunity to earn his spot, it is favoring kpj's development at all costs and letting Alpi fall behind, just like telling him not to shoot 3s is not making him earn the 3pt shot. There wasn't a single thing that the rockets did positively with Alpi in the first two years. He wasn't even given the minutes, usage he earned when he was the only player in the team that had to earn them. He even earned his high post passing big role when kpj was injured but of course that role was immediately cut, never to be seen again until Ime comes along and recognizes it in a few games. This 'opportunity to earn his spot' argument is same as 'he was held accountable for his defense and got benched' thing. He was the only person to get benched for defensive mistakes, called out in the post game interviews when the perimeter players played absolute zero defense and nothing was done to help him improve his defense. Both arguments have no value since they only apply to one player and not even in a correct way. Regardless, past is past and all that bs led to the hiring of Ime, and fvv, brooks, a perfect environment for him to thrive. Even the only negative effect on the team eliminated himself, leaving a very good fit core of Sengun, Bari, Tari, not just a good fit but also hardworking, positive players. A dream come true for the rockets and Sengun. It would be extremely dumb to part ways for both parties now.
