The "franchise player" debate has been settled. It's Amen.

I agree with everything in your first paragraph. Unfortunate to read the second :/. The larger point though is Amen showed he has a gear that no-one but his teammates, coaches, the refs, or injuries can stop. I think we've all seen it in spurts but we saw it for an entire quarter yesterday in a G7. It's real and it's spectacular.

 

I was screaming in the game thread for the players to match Amen’s energy. He wanted the win so badly but no one else came close to what he was giving. It’s a shame really that the sense of urgency wasn’t there for most of the players.

 

Congratulations Amen Thompson... YOU ARE THE NEW FRANCHISE PLAYER

 

I wouldn't call Amen the franchise player (we don't have one), but he's certainly the cornerstone, even more so than Sengun.

 

He averages 25 easy with a good offensive coach. Ime didn’t even start our superstar until an injury made him. He is our best player and has started less than a full season of games and when he wasn’t starting he was getting about 20m while FVV was getting 40+. Ime is good at instilling attitude and defense. That’s it. Amen should do what Magic did with Westphal. I’ve been saying from the day I first saw him play in summer league. He is our future and the team and coach should be structured around him. Generational talents have that kind of cache.

 

I wouldn’t count out Alpi but I’ll still give the nod to Amen for highest potential for franchise player. Both were pivotal to even reaching game with how limited their offensive games are still. They have the highest BBIQ of the young guys and seem to have a great work ethic and the mentality to step up in the bright lights. I expect major improvements in their game by next season.

 

Sengun is great as well and would only trade him in a reasonable trade for a superstar (Giannis, Luka, Ant). I wouldn’t give up Sengun and all our draft picks for Giannis, but I probably would for Luka or Ant. I wouldn’t trade Amen for anyone. If Ime lets him, he will be a top 5 player in the league in the next 2 years.

 

Trade for stars to put around Amen, Jabari, Tari and Sheppard. Amen, Jabari and Tari are great two way players and are needed to win championships. Reminds me of Cassel, Horry and Ellie/Maxwell.

 

His offensive skills still need a ton of work, but its obvious the tools and mentality are there for him. I was impressed by how aggressive he was yesterday when others player were shying away from the ball.

 

I think calling Amen a franchise player is grossly premature and the numbers don't lie. He simply doesn't have the offensive skills to be someone around whom a team can be built - I'm not even sure that he has the offensive skills to merit higher usage on offense. That doesn't mean he won't improve but I would be very hesitant to start making major roster moves based on the assumption that he's already a franchise player.

Going beyond Amen, it's almost impossible to extrapolate what any of our young talent will look like in their primes because the offensive schemes are so terrible and there is simply isn't enough perimeter shooting on the team. What would Alpi have looked like with 4 snipers who knew how to cut and move on the perimeter (and at least 2 capable of making a quick and accurate entry pass)? What would Amen (and hell, Jalen too) have looked like if he were surrounded with 4 snipers (including 2 big men with outside shots)? Would Jabari be more useful as a sniper if we weren't dead last (or close to it) in generating corner threes (which is where he should be most of the time)? What would any of our players have looked like in a scheme that prioritized faster sets?

I will say this - there are a lot more guards and wings in the league who can reliably hit the 3 and still play defense than there are centers who can do the same. So in terms of determining who to build around, it would be easier to build around a non-shooting big like Alpi than it would be a non-shooting wing like Amen. Now just to be clear, ease shouldn't necessarily be the only factor here - the potential team ceiling is just as important and with what information we have, it is very reasonable to conclude that an Amen-centric team will have a higher ceiling than an Alpi-centric team. But I'm still of the opinion that moving on either conclusion right now would be premature, not just because of the ambiguity of both players' ceilings but also because the front office doesn't seem to have a strong idea of the kind of team it wants to build. Maybe the playoffs have answered some questions and they'll make more cohesive decisions going forward.

 

For those who say that Amen isn't a "franchise" player, answer me this -- considering the universe of players drafted since 2021 (the start of our rebuild), which players would you trade Amen towards in a straight-up transaction?

Personally, I would only trade Amen for Wemby. I wouldn't trade him for Paolo, Cade, Mobley, etc.

Yet, if you go to the Pistons forum, do you think any claim that Cade isn't a "franchise" player? Many Magic fans arguing that Paolo isn't a franchise player?

This isn't to say things can't change in the future. Obviously, Amen could take a huge step back, get injured, etc. But, as things stand, I'm find no reason to doubt that he won't end up a top 10 player in the NBA who will anchor our team for a long time.

 

@Jontro
This is like saying Michael is the best dude from this band

 

Yep. It's almost like he's living vicariously through Alpi. Sad.

Extreme Sengunatics recoil whenever another Rockets player gets too much credit or praise because they consider it disrespectful to their hero. In their warped minds, there is a competition to make sure Alpi stays on top of the totem pole. However, for true Rockets fans, the only competition is with opponents on the floor, not between fan fiefdoms of players on the team.

One thing I'm grateful for is Alpi's character and personality seem to be exactly the opposite of extreme Sengunatics. If you watched his postgame interview, it's clear his head is screwed on tight, he's aware of his shortcomings and will come back a better player next year.

 

I’m often on the same page as you. We differ here. Sengun’s gravity, the fact he often commands doubles from the guy guarding the dunkers spot, and his great passing/awareness are precisely what unlocks Amen’s low-post off ball game.

Sengun is indeed a negative for Amen’s 1-on-1 game and a stretch big would fit better. But if you watch the best quarters/games Amen has had they are when he’s playing alongside Alpi and upon several rewatches it’s due to the factors I mentioned above.

 

this

 

If Alpi develops a 10-12 foot jumper (or maybe we can even wish for FT length), clogging up the lane wouldn't be an issue with him because his defender would be forced to leave the paint.