ClutchFans Game Thread: Nuggets @ Rockets 3/23/2025

3s counter the zone defense and not mid range. They call 3 pt shooters the zone busters not mid range shooters.

Secondly Jalen isn't a superstar he is not even a star right now and we also aren't paying him star money. You are asking too much from him so what if SGA or Kawhi can hit mid range Jalen isn't on their level he should just focus on what he is good at instead of trying to be a generational superstar when he isn't at that level.

 

FVV played 42 min. Tari and Jabari played 32 combined. Horrible game period. Adams was the only one that came to play and Ime really sucked this game.

 

Get used to it. This is the team we’re putting out there in the playoffs. Should’ve acquired someone at the deadline.

 

Dang 40mil-40min-2-for-12 FVV is back …

 

I feel like the big difference between Amen starting instead of Bari or Tari, and the biggest impact on our team's success is defense. Yes, Tari and Bari both space the floor better than Amen, but I don't really think that's our biggest issue with the lineup.

Amen is a superior point of attack defender to Tari or Bari, but they are better at patrolling the weakside and cleaning up the defensive boards. Amen, on the other hand, is a much better offensive rebounder but his defensive rebounding isn't quite at the same level.

I think Amen's a better player than Tari or Bari, but they just suit the starting 5's defense better. Bari is great at rotating over to Sengun's man when he has to switch onto a ball handler or if he comes out to meet a driver that's got past our guards. Amen gets steals out front and pressures the passing lanes. He just brings different things to the table and with Fred, Jalen, Dillon and Alpe, those aren't exactly the things that we need

 

The fact that we lost to a nugget missing their mvp caliber player while our overpaid 40 mil pg scored only 7 measly point.

It was also an important game where tiebreaker/seeding matter. Fvv sure rose to the occasion this game

 

Free throw shooting will be the death of this team. Sengun throwing up an air ball from the line in the 4th was particularly barf inducing.

 

was watching the “highlights” on Youtube, and the top comment said “I swear Houston fans watch the game like they’re at a funeral. From an outsider’s POV, they have the least enthusiastic home crowd”

 

What's the point we starting Amen when the ball is always in Fred's hands?

Amen doesnt have shooting.

We should start Tari over Amen.

 

Laid a nugget.

 

Lol weak. Petty little bi+ch

 

I dunno why Fred was playing 42 minutes, there is absolutely no reason to be doing that at this stage of the season. I thought Tari and Bari should of got more burn too. No point riding the players into the ground before playoffs.

 

As I posted earlier….hearing the Rockets are closing in on a long term deal for FVV. Not sure it is money well spent as he appears to have lost his speed with age and the contract will be slightly less, but still in the 40mm per year range.

 

I'll keep saying it. The Rockets would be insane to give Fred a multiyear extension. And the entire front office should be fired if it's anywhere close to 40 mil a year. There's nothing he brings to the table that plenty of other point guards in the league can't also do.

 

@Stephen_A

Im not the only one that thinks this u casual.

 

You guys are blaming this on the wrong guy. Amen should be starting over FVV and Tari should be starting over Dillon. At least give it a chance and see what happens. Putting Amen at the dunker position effectively moves us back to the FVV/Sengun centric offense that has sucked all year. FVV had s big game against a crappy Miami team and Ime reverted back to giving him the reins instead of keeping him off ball. FVV playing 42 mins while Tari and Jabari played 32 combined is the most insane thing I’ve seen on a basketball court. People wanting to extend FVV and giving Ime the option to continue his reliance on his coach on the floor are being foolish. Our strength as a team is being long and athletic. Moving to slow ass FVV, Dillon, Adams is the exact opposite of what we should be trying to do.

 

On the data now that it is available
Totals
3 guards
-12
2 guards
+16
1 guard
-9

Is it so hard to ensure we always have two guards in?

Broken down
FVV, Green, Amen
-12
FVV and Amen, no Green
+6
FVV, Green, no Amen
+12
Amen, Green, No FVV
-2
Amen only
+3
FVV only
-8
Green only
-4

 

I’d say most of this loss was on Sengun, Jalen, FVV & Ime.

Sengun:

• He just hesitates way too much and we are still not in sync once he gets the ball FT line extended. Amen asks for a ton of lobs, gets one rarely, players cut yet do not get the ball, mismatches are not exploited because the focus is on Sengun and his focus is mostly on scoring first. He needs to understand if he’s in that position, it’s all about quick decisions, either drive and pass, make a move and go up for a shot, actually shoot it or hand it off in case of a play.
• The problem is compounded by our lack of plays once Sengun does have the ball there. It’s basically up to him to figure it out. We need an offensive coordinator / assistant, since I doubt Ime will ever implement plays that involve a lot of off-ball action. He simply might not trust Sengun who although can whip up a highlight pass, he’s not exactly tall enough nor quick enough to throw an accurate pass.
• Recognizing who’s on him is sometimes really off with him.
• FT shooting, come on man…

Jalen

• At times really just gives up on a play after he loses control of the ball, on defense similarly.
• Those shots in the 4th where he felt himself a bit too much and was jumping and leaning forward, which are terrible shots to begin with, but especially the way he was taking them and the score being what it was.
• In general just very poor IQ on offense at times, going 1-on-1, not understanding when to take a shot, when to pass. One particular instance he was already with one help defender near him, then a 3rd came over on his move so he decided to step back and basically shoot over 2-3 guys when others were open. Of course he clanked it. He needs to understand he’s no Kobe with the type and amount of shots he takes.
• It seems defenses have taken away his go-to spots and now he’s trying to adjust, but this feels very Silas days KPJ taking turns and just free wheeling it. FVV was doing it too and that’s also on Ime, needs to be more action and plays called to give them direction.

FVV

• That shot selection and after one game thinking he’s the man, came out and firing the 3 and didn’t stop. One particular instance he was going against Aaron Gordon I believe and just refused to acknowledge it, went up against him and then looked for the foul call. I feel him and Green do that both when they knew they are not going to make the shot. As a matter of fact, Sengun does it as well.
• He’s supposed to be our leader and he was in the zone for one game, that’s 1 out of what, 10-20 games or so? He cannot just force it. There were a couple of plays where a Jabari, Tari or Brooks were begging for the ball and even when double-teamed both him and Jalen just went their own way.

Ime

• Dude, you have a bench, use it.
• Tari was a little erratic but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have brought it.
• Jabari is our most consistent shooter outside of Brooks lately, no reason for him to play as little as he did. Even with the double big line-up working.
• Starting Amen at the 4 is not the way to go, neither is playing FVV 41 minutes on a night where he wasn’t bringing it.
• Call some more plays, this free wheeling is not going to cut it when Jalen cannot handle it and FVV is allowed to have free reign regardless of how he plays.

This was a play-off type game as has been pointed out and without Jokic I knew we would somehow not match their physicality and bring a 110%. Losing the rebound battle was partially because of that and also because Ime refused to play Tari and Bari more. We laid a big egg on several fronts. Very disappointing. Let’s learn from it!

 

Lineups without FVV have had plenty of chances. As much as you yell about FVV-Sengun offenses sucking, the Rockets offense without FVV makes the FVV-Sengun lineups look like the Harlem Globetrotters.

FVV- Sengun Offensive Rating is 115.1, which would rate in the Top 10 if the Rockets could do it 48 minutes.
Rockets without FVV Offensive Rating is 111.3, which would rate as 23rd.

 

WTF