I don't think we need to single out sengun for this. The entire team besides Jalen needs to shoot better free throws.
On a thread where we are talking about sengun being the franchise player, he shouldn't b the one being pointed out needing to b better at his free throws. That makes sense. I'm not blaming him for our loss, I just noting that sengun ft weakness as our starting center is not gonna fare well in close game and playoffs if he keeps whiffin ft.
it's soo strange he had a big improvement to start this year on his free throws then recently he can't make anything.
This is false. Believe it if you want to live on fantasy land. One set of highlights doesn't erase everything else. Alpi's lapses in focus and concentration are a big concern for a so-called "franchise player". We've seen too much of it lately. Hopefully the broken jumper / push shot gets fixed too. Second night in-a-row the opposing C often left him open 12-15 feet away from the basket. Alpi must want to be everything he can be. When that happens, opposing defenses will dread facing him and twitch every time he touches the ball. Up to him.
The Houston Rockets’ evolution into a defensive juggernaut is well-documented. In just two seasons, they’ve gone from the third-worst defense to third-best in the association. Thanks to the additions of Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason, Amen Thompson and head coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets are armed with some of the best perimeter dawgs there are in basketball. Their combination of physicality, length, athleticism and feel has become a headache for opposing teams to handle. But that’s only one part of any elite defensive scheme. A team causing as much chaos and taking as many (calculated) risks as the Rockets needs to have a good security blanket, a break-in-case-of-emergency option to protect against perimeter lapses. For most teams, that’s their rim-protecting big man. And it’s no different with the Rockets. Running parallel — and perhaps, in tandem — with Houston improving its roster defensively has been the growth of Alperen Şengün into a legitimately positive defensive player. And the Rockets’ success this season as a defensive powerhouse would not happen without the steps he’s taken on that end. Let’s look at what he’s doing. Rebounding As A Tool Rebounding is a massive part of the Rockets’ philosophy on both sides of the floor. They’re the league’s best offensive rebounding team, collecting over 34 percent of their own missed shots. That’s helped buoy what is, overall, a lackluster half-court offense. Steven Adams is massive (literally) in that regard, leading the entire NBA in offensive rebounding percentage. But Şengün is an essential element there as well, nabbing nearly four extra possessions for Houston each night. Closing out possessions on the other end is just as essential to their defense. Şengün plays a huge role there. He’s a top-10 rebounder in the league this season. Houston’s defensive rebounding rate is 3 percent higher when he’s on the floor (89th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass). He’s fourth in the league in boxouts, behind Bam Adebayo, Karl-Anthony Towns and Domantas Sabonis. This is a career year for him as a garbage man, and it’s not a coincidence it coincides with the Rockets’ improvements on the glass. Smarter Pick-And-Roll Defender Experience has been the best teacher for Şengün. Last year, the Rockets’ perimeter defense had to do much of the heavy lifting in pick-and-rolls. With an aggressive scheme, Houston emphasized forcing its point-of-attack defenders to fight over screens and provide rearview contests, both of which made it easier for Şengün to guard rollers. That approach showed up in the film and numbers, though there’s been a shift this year. The Rockets were 14th in opponents’ at-rim finishing last season. They’re fourth now. Teams are shooting nearly 6 percent worse at the rim with Şengün on the floor (91st percentile among bigs), a 5 percent improvement from last season for him. He’s fifth in the league in deflections among bigs, just six total deflections behind Victor Wembanyama. All of this stems from improvement as a pick-and-roll defender. His timing is better, he’s more active and he’s fouling less, resulting in far fewer blown defensive possessions around the basket. The Rockets picked up two huge wins against the Memphis Grizzlies over the past week in which Şengün’s improved pick-and-roll defense was on display against Ja Morant. It Takes Two To Tango Oklahoma City Thunder wing Jalen Williams suggested a pretty radical idea on “The Old Man and the Three” podcast: Two Defensive Player of the Year awards — one for perimeter players and one for big men. The league will never do that because it dilutes the importance of a prestigious individual accolade. Still, it does point to an oft-forgotten aspect of defense: Success is a collective effort. Yes, a team can be good defensively with a solid rim protector or various good wing defenders. But to be great like the Rockets? You need both. Şengün’s worst qualities as a defender early in his career — poor positioning and miscalculated reads because of it — were exacerbated by a team lacking the perimeter talent to insulate some of those issues. With roster improvements defensively around him, he’s been provided the opportunity to learn and make mistakes. And he’s leaned into his best qualities defensively, his active hands and good timing, to become a more capable defender. This isn’t some soliloquy to boldly state Şengün should be an All-Defensive Team candidate. But it’s written with the idea players, at times, can’t shake off labels. Sometimes, even as early as their rookie season, a player can be deemed a “bad defender” or, conversely, a “defensive stopper.” For better or worse, that title sticks. Let’s not make this mistake with Şengün. He’s improved alongside the context around him. And the Rockets, for their part, are better off.
Our defensive rating is top in the league. It doesn't fit the narrative of folks hating on Jalen and sengun defense, that they are surrounded by good defense players and other sht. Our rating has became top tier bc their defense has also improved something a lot of folks wont acknowledge. If they were liabilities our defensive rating would say otherwise
Yeah, last night I went from being upset that he seemed to be letting Sabonis push him around and out rebound him early to being amazed at his defensive intensity at the end of the game. A key shot block, a couple of steals or deflections, he was a difference maker on defense at the end of the game. Which if nothing else tells me that he can play high level defense when needed.
Weird seeing this when there’s no denying that Current Jalen Green is by far the best player on the Rockets. This is the life of rooting for a very YOUNG team. Really need Alpi to focus on finishing inside 15 feet more than we need him to knock down open 3’s.
Udoka and Alperen have a lot more work to do. Keep the foot in his ass. He can defend when he wants to. And he can turn up the pressure when he wants to. He is NOT doing it enough. (15 Potential Assists yesterday. You can’t teach that stuff…)
It's his conditioning. If you notice he is shooting worse from the field too. Alpi is too young of a basketball player to be out of shape. If you look at him, he is the only player that is constantly bent over hanging on his shorts.....that's a sign of being tired and out of shape. I don't think he diligently worked on his 3pt shot and conditioning as we were lead to believe during the off season
I'm glad Jalen has been playing well very recently. You are the one who is trying to pitch them against each other, not me. Just responding to your minority opinion. On the season, this is what it looks like.
Come on now. Jalen Green is hitting open shots that he wasn’t before, that are largely provided by the attention that Alperen has garnered all season long. (18th most double teamed player in the NBA) Keep it going Jalen.
I feel like a lot of it has to do with the team doesn't trust him to be a good defender. But they need to let him try and make mistakes. There is soo much over rotation when he's in the game leading to wide open shots. I have no idea why we are just leaving guys wide open to shoot who cares if he gets beat for 2 points. Last night's game was not on him everyone had mental bone headed lapses. Dillon leaving shooters wide open to help. Jalen switching onto Sabonis only to leave him wide open under basket for dunk. Alpi elevated his defense to end the game, he was everywhere. Sure he can't sustain that all game but we know he has it in him,
Alpi needs to improve his energy level at the start of the game. He has little lift early in games. That's how he missed so many bunny shots under the basket. For some reasons, he then get more focused and energetic as the games progress. So it can't be just fatigue. Maybe he needs some pregame meditation or something to get him going at the start.
