Jalen has been playing like trash since the Rockets got good and he got paid. Its not a problem of ability and he is still being a good defender on the court its just lack of focus and discipline. Him and Sheppard have opposite problems Sheppard is scared to take shots while Green just jacks up shots without any conscience. Fortunately Rockets have a soft schedule the next couple of games until they hit GSW on dec 6.
The Rockets are winning is a testament to how much Sengun, Fred, Amen and Tari are carrying us. Against good teams, or if we ever want to go anywhere in the playoffs with this group, changes will need to be made. Some of us saw it from years ago but most of you can now tell what it is, it is what it is and it’s not changing.
I can't read it, it is behind a paywall. Is there another way to access this? It would be good to continue over something like this, probably will be easier for me to make my points.
It’s such a bummer because the theory of Jalen would be such an amazing fit, and most likely will end up costing us most or all of our assets to upgrade on that spot
One day, if he learns that basketball is a team game, he will be successful. He hasn't been able to learn it for 4 years. He makes very bad shot choices, he tries to take impossible shots, that's why his shooting percentage is so low, I don't get angry at a player who misses 3 points, but he makes a weird step back mid-range shot like Jalen. It's hard to watch someone
Huh I wonder why I didn't get paywalled. But yeah for article paywalls you can always paste the link into archive.ph website.
I feel if Jalen can learn to be numero tres or quatro I think he may be able to rehabilitate himself. His defense has gotten to the point where it's not debilitating. If Tari and especially Amen improves further at attacking the basket, Jalen as a mostly C&S guy or secondary ball handler he may be able to continue as a starter level player for the rest of his career. I still think Jalen's shooting ability is fine. He just need to stop practicing Harden moves and just concentrate on shooting normally. And if he's not the primary ball handler, his athleticism will play up more since defenses won't be concentrating on stopping him.
Jalen's shot profile against LAC on 11/15/24: 1st Q Jalen follows a screen for a miss 11:30 Jalen blows by his defender for a nice layup 10:32 Gets a rebound and a layup 5:22 Jalen airballs a 3 with a ton of time on the clock 1:14 Jalen blocked at the rim :12 2nd Q Jalen kicks the ball off his foot OOB 11:11 Jalen blocked at the rim 9:20 His 3 pointer is blocked 8:40 3rd Q Misses a layup 10:50 Makes a layup 9:50 Alleyoop dunk 6:56 Brick 3 1:58 Brick 3 :09 An actual heave at the end of the quarter but it was after the buzzer
Jalen’s defense, ability to play under control, and handle have improved since last year. I thought his shot looked more compact and fluid to start the season, but it seems like muscle memory is working against his off season training. I am pleased with where he is at. I think he can be a 45/34, which is respectable. Now everyone please make sure to let me know how uou agree CT
I can’t wait to be called a hater for acknowledging he’s been objectively terrible the last 10 games Send that man to Rio Grande, start Eason and play Holiday until he decides to get hot again
At this rate, I think we'll be lucky if he ends up shooting 40% from the field and 33% from 3 for the season... which again is absolute bottom tier. Shooting wise he is regressing year over year. By now, he is who he is, he isn't going to change much. Hurts to say but honestly he is, at best, a fringe starter at the NBA level and likely better off as a bench sparkplug... too bad we're paying him near max lol
Can you explain why you think this specifically? What has he shown that leads you to believe he'll ever average 45?
He's talking about fg% and 3PT%... and Jalen has never come close to 45%. The bigger issue is that he's trying to suggest that 34% from 3 is respectable for a SG when that's the average for centers.
Yeah....I figured he was talking about field goal percentage and my reaction to thinking that's an outlandish number for Jalen to hit pretty much says everything that needs to be said about his efficiency.
I think you mistake 5 games out of 16 as the parameter of him being improving on all cylinders. He is improved because he was the worst player in his first year, a journeyman scorer in his second year, somewhat useful in his 3rd year while still building brick houses every year. Building houses is laudable as it is community service.
Well, he can’t shoot, has bad handles, can’t finish at the rim, and is averaging a career high in turnovers, but his on-ball defense has improved so there’s that. Sounds like a SG worth near max.
League average EFG% for SG has been over 53% for the last 3 seasons League average TS% for SG has been over 57% for the last 3 seasons Both efficiency markers have been consistently increasing since approximately 2016. For Jalen to be above league average efficiency going forward, he will have to have average over 58 TS% and 54 EFG% and higher over the upcoming years. What is a scorer who’s below average efficiency? What does that do for winning? Kobe was at or above league average TS% his entire career up until his injury at 35. Zach LaVine, whom many fans suffer seizures about when one comps him to Jalen’s upside, has been above league average TS% in all but his rookie yr + 2 injury seasons where he played 25 games or less. Jalens career is going to require a Kemba Walker efficiency jump (rare, extreme and late) to be a success.
Dennis Smith: “LaMelo Ball doesn’t do anything but play basketball. He’s always in the gym, putting in work. There’ve been nights when I’d come to the gym late, and he’d just be finishing up. Even when he’s playing video games, it’s 2K. He’s all about basketball. People don’t understand how dedicated he is, but I’ve seen it firsthand. Melo is one of those guys who lives and breathes the game. He’s young, but he’s already got that focus and work ethic that sets him apart.” Source: YouTube
What other SG is on the roster? Cam isn't really a 2, he's more 3. Shepard isn't a 2, he's a 1 that can shoot. Brooks is a 3. Amen is a WTF I dunno, just play him. Tari is a 3-4. Holiday is a 2. The only other 2 on the roster is on a 2 way contract in Jeenathan Williams. Jalen wins by default?
