Rockets in the clutch are 16th in offense and 22nd in defense 25th in free throw percentage 21st in turnover percentage
We should not start to play slow and run down the clock on purpose. Just keep playing your own game and move the ball and continue to stockpile points on the table, that way other team can't catch us. Durant's slow dribbling makes it easy to defend and if the first move doesn't give him enough room to get a good shot off, then there is no time to pass anymore.
Fred was trash, let him walk, blah blah blah (and then many complained he was overpaid when he was re-signed) and now he’s the savior and just can’t win without him! lol yes
People always say defense isn't played today, but defenses are so good today at denying the ball to players where they want it. Amen, Reed, and Durant are not good enough to get Sengun the ball in the low post. Long term, I think this will be the Rockets bread and butter, but not sure it will be ready by the playoffs.
IDK, there has to be some schemes that can be used. Maybe not posting up every possession. But you can do other stuff and turn it into a diversion to get the ball down low. Kind of like how a pitcher uses a change up to set up his fast ball, or a QB uses play action to freeze up the secondary.
It's not that he isn't getting help, it's that they go straight to the ISO - either Sengun with a foot outside the 3 point line, or KD outside the 3 point line, that's the starting point for just about every play. Ime defers to KD / Ime rather than allowing Reed to create shots off of the pick and roll or Sengun to get position at the elbow or below, or KD catching off of movement around the FT line / short wing. The few possessions Reed has run the show, it's worked well and when it hasn't generated a shot for Reed it has opened up shots for others. They need to rip the band aid off and let him run more possessions than not, they will need that in the post season - they aren't getting passed Denver or OKC without something to lean on other than KD / Sengun ISO from outside the 3 point line. Get him the reps now, not next year.
You gotta have the changeup or the batter will just spit on the change, and still be geared fastball. For play action, a credible running threat is needed for that to work. KD struggles getting the ball within 30 feet of the basket without getting doubled. Batters spit on Amen's three point shooting. QB Reed will get killed on the blitz if RB Sengun doesn't pick it up such that Sengun can't sell that he is running the ball. FVV's 1st season with the Rockets, he was good at using the PnR as a means to get Sengun the ball closer to the basket. Last season, teams just decided to let FVV do whatever he wanted on the PnR as they weren't going to give easy passes to Sengun. I think Reed has the best promise of getting Sengun the ball rolling towards the basket, but he will likely need better ball-handling for it to be spammed.
I do wonder why they couldn't just have Amen bring the ball up and Alpi set an off-ball screen for Reed on the wing before posting up? It's such a fundamental play, we have the right personnel and it'd often result in either a 3 for Reed wide open or a mismatch in the post that Alpi should make easy food of...
That's what I mean. You've got to run some plays that work decently to be a diversion. ISOing from from the 3pt line is never going to trick anybody. But to be able to run plays that works reasonably well, you have to work on it and do the reps often enough. You can't have play action if you don't even have a RB line up in your back field.
I don't at all disagree with getting the ball to KD - It's where he gets it and how hard he has to work as a result that I disagree with. That often leads to turnovers and a lot of unnecessary miles on his 37 year old body. He's been a play finisher his whole career - not a play initiator. Spread the court, get him the ball inside the arc on the wings with only one defender, .... or on the baseline where it's difficult for a second defender to get there. Have him come off a pick or pin down or some other action to free him up. Don't just run it up the court and hand it to KD expecting miracles. Why does Sengun need to catch the ball outside the 3 point line just to back down the defender and take shot inside the paint? He aint shooting 3's ..... catch it on the high post or low post. Eliminate all the dribbling, and the turnovers that come as a result between the two ....
I will argue our offense will improve when Reed stop picking up his dribble so early. He has to stay in attack mode, allow his shooting capability to be the gravity to get KD and Alpi better looks. I notice as soon as Reed picks up his dribble at 12 seconds left on the shot clock, he immediately kicks it out to KD then everyone spaces out for ISO action...Reed just gotta stay aggressive and our offense will open up
I don't think it is as easy to get the ball to players where they want it as you make it out to be, especially with this team. That said, I should have qualified my statement to the KD Iso without Reed. On not getting help, I was thinking about plays when KD gets doubled, he passes to the middle (a non-shooter), low man picks up middle, and a non-shooter is left open behind the three-point arc. This happens much more often when Reed is off the floor. KD, Sengun, and Reed have not developed chemistry yet. I really want to see the Rockets play lineups with 4 honest to God shooters. Not a guy like Okogie that needs to be left wide open to maybe make 1 three, 2 on a good day. There have been tastes of KD-Reed-Holiday-JSJ lineups this season, and it is just weird how most of the KD iso problems go away (almost as if KD getting help was more important than him getting setup perfectly). KD still has to work 1 on 1 so there were a lot of turnovers. KD making midrange shots and the threes from Reed, Holiday, and JSJ made the turnovers worth it.
