I also do not think it is that simple with the Harden story. I think the Rockets very likely know what Harden is going through in his private life and they want to give him his homecoming, nothing wrong with that. It just coincided with everyone's growth. Plus they think he can help those kids for real more than any fan that is not a Harden guy would have guessed.
Interesting to think about: If you wanted to run the offense through Alpi more often, which veteran point guard would be the best fit? I would agree that Harden does not really fit the bill--he's very ball-dominant and seems to thrive with guys who finish plays moreso than guys who create them. I don't think him and Sengun would be a terrible fit together, but I don't think it would utilize Sengun's passing abilities all that well. I'd suggest that as good as Sengun is at creating offense, you still do need a "real point guard" alongside him to bring the ball up, get things started, and successfully get him the ball in the right position to make a play. This is a very limited way to look at things, and there's a lot more that goes into it, but I was curious to see which point guards had high assist rates without high usage, on the theory that a guy like that might fit better with Alpi. For reference, the average USG% for a point guard this season was 21.5% and the average AST% was 25.8%. Bonus points if they can hit open threes and/or play good defense. So for me, I'm zeroing in on these players, any of whom would need to be acquired via trade: Chris Paul AST% 38.7 USG% 19.2 3P% 37.5 Mike Conley AST% 29.4 USG% 16.3 3P% 38.5 Tyus Jones AST% 28.8% USG% 17.7% 3P% 37.1% Marcus Smart AST% 26.4 USG% 17.8 3P% 33.6 For comparison: Kevin Porter Jr. AST% 25.7 USG% 24.3 3P% 36.6%
Jones would be the most coveted in this group because of his age. You would have him long term. But his price would be high. If you want to go the over-the-hill vet route, CP3 and Conley would fit much better than Harden. CP3's contract has only 2 years left and Conley's has 1 year. The main concern about getting old guys is the length of their contract. These two are ideal. Not sure what we have to give up to get them.
I’ve been advocating for Conley, but he is going to be hard to get I think. Minnesota still wants to pretend to be contenders and they don’t have a PG other than Conley. It would have to be a 3 team trade. I have been scouring every team’s roster for realistic trade opportunities for a PG, and it looks like a real long shot without an extreme overpay. Our other avenue of FA’s is also cost prohibitive, it’s either overpaying Harden or FVV(yuck). I’m starting to think why doesn’t Ime just let KPJ bring the ball up the floor and let Sengun initiate the half-court offense. If KPJ won’t defer then it’s bench time. In order for this to work, Sengun needs to be a less reluctant outside shooter, be it from 3 or developing a mid-range jumper. You can draft Amen and when he’s ready you can split time on the initiator in the half-court. I also predict a significant increase in Sengun/Green pick-n-rolls which they were becoming pretty good at towards the end of the year.
I actually don't see the need for a conventional floor general PG if we go to a more Sengun centric offense. I think you would be better served with a player that can get themself open off ball for shots and has size to finish over mismatches. That's not gonna be Chris Paul.
Even if you go the Senhub direction, you still need a PG that can (1) handle the ball, (2) make the right decision, (3) shoot, (4) be a secondary playmaker, and (5) play defense. KPJ can do 1, 3, and 4. He's poor at 2 and okay at 5. I'd give him a shot to see if he works out in that role. If he refuses to defer, TyTy should be given a chance to see if he has the stuff as our long term PG. And yeah, Sengun needs to be able to shoot, preferably from the 3pt range, but at least from midrange.
It could even be KPJ if he is told that his role is to bring the ball up, defer to Sengun, then spot up.
For KPJ to be that guy he is really going to have to get a lot better on defense and become more of an unselfish, two-way player and let go of this whole "head honcho" idea. I'm not sure he has it in him, either in terms of personality or in terms of defensive instincts, to become what we need. I think there's still a lot of value in having a good, unselfish passer at the point even if he's not going to be the primary playmaker in most half-court sets. Makes the offense more multi-dimensional, and gives you more transition opportunities. You also want a guy who can make that entry pass to Sengun in the post and most shooting guards suck at that.
I've seen some highlights of this guy and try to get league pass minimum to see him play next season. When was the last time the Rockets had a point 4/5?
