I feel you but we're also in a trap right now. While our intention is to just get better we have to step back and look at the big picture. Sadly there's no backcourt that won't have its worst season with 2 non-shooters on the floor. We'd just be throwing assets into an infinite hole. Driving to the rim is the most important shot in basketball and we can't keep working around the fact that we are compromised in our ability to do that at an average level. There's no championship offense with 2 non-shooters, it just doesn't happen. In the past 20 years it's unheard of. In the 20 years before that, it only works if one of those guys is a major high volume iso scorer 25-30ppg. Especially doesn't work if one of those guys is parked in the paint and the other is off ball not threatening the defense at all. Whatever other moves we make is tip-toeing around that problem which will affect anyone we bring in. Is Kevin Durant a better scorer than Jalen? Of course but we will get a lesser version of Durant than the one you saw elsewhere. Since there is a salary cap, the result of all this is the players you will have to put around the 2 non-shooters to account for the diminished efficiency will exceed the second apron. We have to get Sengun out of the paint. If we don't do that, whatever backcourt we have on the floor will take a significant dip. If we do it, our assets will increase to their normal value and production.
Playing all 82 games has to be the dumbest and most overrated metric of all time. He played like 10 minutes a game after we clinched. Does that even count? Mikel bridges played 30 seconds in Knick's last game. Why should that count?
I think it’s possible to have a good offense with two non-shooters, but I agree that Sengun being able to step out into the mid-range is critical. If he never gets there he’s not worth building around. I think it’s plausible he develops the mid-range. Amen developing a mid-range and corner-3 game is plausible and we saw some improvement there this season. And of course both guys can score in the paint. I’d like to actually put shooters around them and see what things look like. To me Fred is not a reliable shooter anymore and I think he’ll have more and more difficulty because his lower body gets dinged up and his size becomes more of a challenge. Jalen continues to improve as a long range shooter. He was 35% last yr, would love to see him get to 36% this yr. I honestly think Bari was on his way to a 37% 3pt season before he broke his hand. But let’s face it…none of those 3 guys are elite shooters. So I’m confident Amen and Sengun are worth building around, but they both need to continue to develop to reach their potential, especially offensively. Two of the other three guys around them are in the backcourt. I just can’t help but think if we can upgrade one of those positions with better shooting, and if we think Bari will shoot in the high 30s next season, we are going to be better. We haven’t seen what this team looks like with high level shooters.
And he could have used those last few games to get ready for the playoffs because lots of teams in the West was still playing for seeding. Instead he bull**** around just to get a perfect attendance award and went into the playoffs playing just like he played the last few games, absolute crap.
Not a chance anymore - with Indiana and OKC showing the blueprint - you have to SCORE the ball to win. DD
I would say this particular comment is unfair to Jalen. he has been durable. He would’ve gladly played four minutes those games that it had been needed, and his durability has been over the course of four years. if people are scared off by one playoff performance I get that, but let’s not sit here and pretend that he hasn’t been durable. I would even take it as far as to say let’s not sit here and pretend he hasn’t gotten better year over year. I would love him on the team next year with someone like Durant, where he doesn’t have to be the number one scorer.
Can I ask why do you believe it's possible for it to work with 2 non-shooters? Offensive geniuses have not been able to make it work with far better players for 20 years. It wasn't possible with far better scorers like Giannis with another somewhat bad shooter. We have two 29% on low volume guys. Genuinely think you should have a deeper thought session about it. Rebuilding cost a lot of time, aches and pains. To pin our hopes to such an incredibly unlikely scenario could lead to us as fans being so unhappy with what we did. Jalen's a very good shooter for the type of shots you're thinking about. If he took the exact same shots as Brooks, he is shooting over 40% already. The issue there is one of volume of pull ups. We're asking Jalen to take 5 pull up 3's per game (for comparison I believe Brooks takes less than 1 per game). That's a pull up volume reserved for absolutely elite shooters. If we drop that to 3-4 per game, his % climbs to where you're asking. Catch and shoot is what creates the most spacing. Jalen was the best spacer on the Rockets because they had to respect his Brooks-level catch and shoot while also having a handle good enough to punish closeouts. He did great improving last summer, with a little more work and a reduction in volume, I think he's a safe bet. FVV's shooting might bounce back a little but yeah overall I think it's logical he would decline fast from this point. Short players don't age well in the NBA. Personally if Amen is starting, I want him having the ball and being the primary playmaker. When he doesn't have the ball teams are guarding him with a mediocre defender and also sagging off - that's creating problems for everyone else. Personally I'd love to snatch Coby White from Chicago to replace Fred. I think there's a window where some team can tell him to refuse an extension in exchange for an equivalent extension in a better situation. My favorite option of course is to acquire literally the best spacer of all time in Durant. Then we start Sengun/Durant/Brooks/Green/Amen. If we must have 2 non-shooters, then surely it would work then right?
Many have pointed it out but few are seeing it! Jalen needs a RUNNING PARTNER. And Amen is it! A Jalen Amen backcourt would form an IDENTITY. Why you think Indy is doing so well with a barely above avg roster.....they have an IDENTITY. Indy plays fast! However, they play avg defense, they turn the ball over at a high clip and they're avg at rebounding. You can not tell me Houston is not a better team. Our only problem is we play at a slow pace and we do not have an identity. FVV has got to go and I'm on the fence with Sengun. Not because I don't like him, it's just that similarly to Indy trading Sabonis, Houston may have to trade Sengun. Good players, it's just a.matter of FIT
I wasn't even taking a shot at Jalen. I just don't think it matters at all if you play 82 games as long as you aren't the guy who plays 40-50 games every year.
I hear you but I do think that people are going a little bit far in the green hat. And I get it from the recency bias and just his overall performance in the playoffs. I’d like to see how he performs in the playoffs in subsequent years, but by no means do I want to go into next post season with him as our primary scorer.
I agree. If they bring back FVV they might as well trade him. If they get Durant for FVV, Jalen will blossom. He needs space to operate and needs to be a Robin not a Batman. I think his trade value is much greater than our fans think it is. Other GM’s can look at his skillset and the static offense we run and buy into his obvious potential at 23 years old. I don’t think the Rockets have any desire whatsoever to trade him.
Jalen is NEVER going to be the guy, he is not going to be worth the money he is being paid, he is a lessor Zack Lavine and isn't nearly as mentally strong as even him. You don't build around those guys you move them on.....I know it hurts his fans, but this is for the ROCKETS team - we would be better if he were not even on the team and we got nothing back. DD
We've seen Sengun surrounded by shooters.....it was the 2022 Sacramento Kings w/Sabonis. Its not going to get you far. In this era, your center has to be able to step out to the 3pt line like; Jokic and Embiid (WHEN HEALTHY) or you need a Roll threat! Amen's game reminds me a lot of Giannas but from a guard perspective, not a forward. While I do think he can be good as a forward, I think he can be great as a PG. The size, the length over other PGs, makes him more dominant in the back court. THINK WESTBROOK BUT WITH MORE CONTROL. And with that comes the DILEMMA! While I do think Amen and Sengun have shown moments of being good together, because of Amen's ability to adapt, I don't think Sengun complements Amen's best strength which is him at PG. AMEN AT PG AND SENGUN AT CENTER IS JUST LIKE RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC ON I-10W.
they are talented 22 yr olds that have been increasingly productive through their early careers. Why are folks so sure that neither or both won’t develop reliable mid-range games? They have versatile skill-sets but are far from finished products. I think it’s incredible short sighted to trade either for fit at this point in their young careers. Hold onto your best players. Add shooting. See how things play out.
