Agree. I picked Brooks precisely because he can shoot better and play better overall than the other options. It is amazing that Amen is getting so much praise when he can hardly make a shot from 2 feet from the rim. When he develops a more respectable shot then he can fairly be considered at least as a starter. But not until then. Tari can be a better option but his main flaw is his health and his incredible ineptness with finishing around the basket. Cam has shown flashes of a good shot but he still needs to show that he can consistently be good at the 3 when he starts playing heavy minutes and opponents start paying attention to him. There are so many question marks with this young team and the next season will be the real test for everyone.
That's all true but if we continue to start FVV and Green as our backcourt, we're kind of forced to think in more traditional terms for our 3 spot, because neither one of them has much positional versatility (FVV is only big enough to play 1, Green doesn't really slide well to the 1 or 3), and you have to bring certain qualities to make up for that. Luckily many of our other guys can slide positions easily, so our bench will can bring some versatility. My ideal lineup for the future would be Amen/Sheppard at the guard spots, Whitmore and Bari/Tari at the forwards and Sengun at the 5.
Brooks to start, but it'll be real indicative of Amen or Tari if they are not making it an easy decision for the coaching staff to force Brooks to the bench by the All Star break. Both of those guys are far superior talent wise, and offer more dimensions for the starting 5 potentially. So I think it's Brooks for now, but it should be Tari or Amen's for the taking. Cam too could make that decision for the coaches an easy one, but yeah I think you want a little more length as a defender playing next to Jabari & Sengun.
Amen and it isn’t close. Even if we start Cam, Somebody else in the starting lineup is going to need to be able to create for others. Because Cam starting in of Jalen does hurt us creation wise. Jalen is superior to Whitmore right now and creating on the drive and out of the pick and roll. Might not stay that way, but that is what it is for next year.
That make sense, I'm just not sure that line up has enough shooting. Bari need needs to be more consistent. Amen needs a shot. Tari feels like a complete wildcard to me given his lost year. Whitmore is also a bit of a wildcard, because there were times I wasn't sure he can make the right read for a motion/read & react offense that I think the Rockets would excel at and I want them to work towards.
I'd say Amen is just a flat out better player than Brooks. Brooks has him on shooting threes, slightly at mid range, and has a better FT percentage. The scoring inside, getting to the line, scoring efficiently, offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding, POA defense, help defense, and playmaking all favor Amen. The fit may not maximize Amen's abilities, but the skill of Amen is so much greater that he's still a better fit. Long term, Amen and Sengun may not fit well enough to win a title, but they are good enough that the Rockets need to try.
Didn’t see Bari as an option. To truly unlock him and play to his skill set he needs to move down in the line up and become a nightmare of a mismatch. He would become an all star.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but since Sengun is already on the team I don't think we would make a trade for him.
I am with you man. How about... 1. Fred 2. Amen 3. Ingram 4. Jabari 5. Alperen My goodness. If Amen and Alperen are your best players and you believe in their talent, sandwich them with three shooters who can play both ways. This starting lineup would be absolutely bonkers under Udoka. Reed/Cam/DB/Tari/Adams off the bench. Nasty.
