Amen + Sengun as a tandem looks to be enough playmaking to effectively fill the "point guard" duties, and taking the ball out of their hands by acquiring a point guard would be a detriment to the team. Let them cook
Ime sucks as a coach Our assistant coaches suck Reed sucks Amen sucks at PG Jabari still sucks We don't have an offense We lost our defense We need to trade Tari - he's given up on us Oh wait... that was the eye test from about one or two weeks ago - my bad. I'll have to think further about this week's eye test. But it'll be highly-dependent upon if we win or lose.
Alpi's court awareness, ball security and passing are on a different level this year. His gravity on defenses is at a superstar level. He commits fewer dumb fouls. He still baits the refs too much. His shooting form still looks awful and I think his 3-point percentage will end up below average. KD's gravity is even more than I expected. The combined gravity of KD and Alpi is one reason the team 3-point percentage is so high. The looks are often crazy wide open. Alpi's gravity has created more wide-open 3s for KD than since his days at Golden State. KD is far and away the best pure shooter the Rockets have ever had and just his presence on the court makes other players better. Jabari might be developing into a borderline great role player. He needs to continue the sniper's attitude and confidence on offense when unguarded and play within his ability when forced to dribble. Tari will continue drilling 3s at a good clip (but not at 57%) if teams continue to leave him wide open. He has a consistent, repeatable shooting form that, unfortunately, breaks down whenever contested. Amen is growing quite well into the "PG" role. Him playing that position gives the Rockets great versatility. I'm keeping an eye on his jumper. I'm satisfied with Reed's progress. The talent on this roster means he has space to grow.
Amen has already improved on finding others as a pg. he will probably be very good by the time the trade window opens.
yeah but we've picked up all of those "new" old posters who disappeared in the Silas Era. Apparently they're watching games now
Biggest takeaways for me so far: Jabari really does look like he's taken a step (maybe not a leap just yet) forward, didn't expect it but love to see it. KD is so much of an upgrade on Green i genuinely still don't understand how we didn't give up way more, huge steal. Stephen Adams is a monster. I've not seen that much dominance on the offensive glass in a decade or more. Really solid work. Sengun really is looking like an all-NBA player like i'd hoped from Eurobasket. Senhub is IT. Really takes the PG pressure off somewhat.
I'm impressed with Bari so far, more aggressive on offense and showing some rim protecting chops that we need. KD is silky smooth shooter still and contributing on both ends. He takes some breaks, but that’s the vet trying to conserve energy for when we need him. Sengun's offense is not fully aligned yet. He looked great against OKC, but has deferred more since then. His facilitating is awesome this year and his 3pt shot and mid-range are improved. Amen is progressing, but still want to see a more consistent outside shot. Okogie has exceeded expectations on both ends.
Tari looks Corey Brewery / Russell Westbrooky at times, not in a complimentary way. Durant looks like he really cares and is taking this season seriously. You love to see it. The offense is so random / read-and-react that I'm skeptical of how it will work against smart defensive teams. The defense seems to have trouble with quickness. Sheppard, Durant and particularly Adams have trouble with lateral movers. Josh Okogie has officially made himself the X-factor. Sengun really needs to tighten his handle / ball care in the post. Loving the length and rebounding domination. Reed looks scared. The ball is a hot potato in his hands.
The team letting Sengun operate down low and shredding the defense with his passing and vision is better than watching Sengun try to post himself up from beyond the three point line.
Tari Eason let that game come to him. I typically like it when he press more (i.e., forces the action). Didn't get many opportunities, but made the most of them, and even lost a 3 from a ticky tacky call on Amen. Durant was off most of the game. Sengun started slow, but was crazy good late. Rockets played very fast tonight (well fast for them) and it was keeping this game close. Too many turnovers. Not a good job on glass (for them). Bad transition and semi transisition defense. Just not getting good early looks, but still pushing it. Amen. Okogie, Tari lineup did not look good tonight. This may have been a relic of not getting back on defense allowing Mavs opportunities before defense is set. Holiday played good minutes as usual when he gets an opportunity. Tate did not look good. Nothing specific...just did not seem himself. Reed needs to make shots. Just rough on defense.
Yes. How has this man played 2 highly successful decades in the NBA with so little situational awareness
Eye test.... The squad is learning how to play together. Green and Brooks did contribute to a lot of minutes of the rotation so it's a change. We are still focusing on the possession battle because we are not totally confident in the sum total of the ball handling/ playmaking.
