As pissed as I was at that last play, this one really showed Tari’s lack of attention and basketball IQ.
He had 2 clearly better options, jump into JJ once he left his feet or pass to Jalen. Amen was a bit more risky though.
and i would disagree. yes, you are up but you are only up by 1. additionally, the clock was not on rockets' advantage. rockets still require to attempt a shot with how much time on the clock was left. had Tari gone up with it or pass it to jalen to attempt a shot, that was basically a 2 for 1 possession. if the shot was missed, fine whatever grizzlies still have to score being down by 1 with at least 30s left on the clock. If they make it, rockets would still have the last possession.
Love Tari--he's an incredible bench player, his defense is great, and his size and athleticism makes up for a lot on offense--but man does he seem discombobulated with the ball in his hands and any decisionmaking involved at all, no matter the situation. He's okay when he can just tip it back in on an offensive rebound, or when it's a clear catch-and-shoot, or whatever. But it's like his brain just goes into white fuzz mode the minute he touches the ball and has to make a choice about what to do. It's kind of the polar opposite of his "Terror Twin" Amen's lightning-quick processing and aggressive play. Anyway, between his IQ/game processing issues and the leg problems, I'd definitely be cautious about how much and for long I paid him. Have to remember too that he's actually almost 24 years old, easily the oldest of the young core. What you see may be more or less what you get--probably some shooting improvement and some minor improvements in other areas, but I wouldn't expect as big of a leap as you might get with a younger dude.
We lost as a team, there were plenty of possessions that let up to the final score. We also lost by one point and are still second in the West. Shake it off, learn from it, and move on to the next game.
Tari definitely isn't the best decision-maker. In this case, with the lead and the ball, he played it safe instead of being aggressive and trying to pass the ball for a slam. I don't really blame him for this play. He makes far worse decisions. With his 13/12 and solid defense, Rockets would not have been in position to win last night.
I think Tari's tip in off a miss was the only made FG in the last 5 mins or something like that. Jaren Jackson is an intimidating defender in the paint so I don't blame him dribbling out to try and get a better shot. I'm more pissed off at that missed wide open alley-oop dunk by Amen on the fastbreak. Seems like he was trying to go for the highlight dunk instead of coming down with the ball and then dunking it. Or maybe he just overestimated his hang time. Steven Adams also had a missed dunk that bounced off the rim. So many missed opportunities...
That was one of 2 late plays that should have been our "closer". Amen missing that alley was also frustrating. He should have just come down with the ball if he wasn't certain
While we're on this subject: Can Ime get the team to agree on a safe dunk style? Two hands whenever possible, and minimal windup. I'll lose my mind if I see another clanged windmill.
Tari in end of game situations is a spot I would be very weary of playing him. We saw what happened when he fouled Garland on a three point shot, he did that earlier in GSW too I believe. This dude makes mistakes and is not a high IQ player. Great hustle and energy but low bb IQ
Tari did a ball fake and got JJ in the air. If he had jumped right into him, he would have fouled him out and gotten 2 FTs.
Tari has played much less basketball than almost anyone on the team not named Reed or Cam. He’s still developing, and probably still trying to round into form from time off. I’m excited to see how things go the 2nd half of the season. Tari gonna get there.
Granted , this is professional basketball .... Tari had to make that decision for a handoff or a pass very quickly , and it looked like a tight window.. especially to green. And Jaren Jackson is a force. Kicking it back out may not have been the optimal play , but at least it wasnt a bad play. Think he made some bigger mistakes throughout the game on defensive coverages .
