I knew the Amen detractors would be out in force today. They were largely in their bat caves the previous 3 games and the first half of this game. Amen is making teams game plan for him. What's Ime's counter move? Let me guess. Hand the ball to KD everytime down the court and stand around and watch him.
I’m not even an Amen detractor man. He’s talented and has his place in this league. Could Ime do a better job? Yeah, sure. That being said, you can’t seriously sit here and say allowing Wemby to become a free safety and literally leave Amen without a defender 10 feet from him outside the arc isn’t an issue. You can’t be so bad from 3 that you’re unwilling to take that shot when we also have another guy on the court that can’t shoot either. Unless he or Sengun develops a 3 PT shot, I don’t think this pairing is going to win a championship. Maybe if literally everyone else on the team was a shooter it would work but outside of KD we have no consistent threats. When Reed isn’t hitting, he is just giving up baskets on the other end. Jabari is so streaky. DFS is straight ass. Okogie was solid early on this season but now he’s ass. Eason has been really good knocking down open shots but he can’t stay on the court.
Amen was most effective when him and Tari came off the bench - folks are trying to force Amen to be this superstar when he’s an athletic defensive star and I’m okay with that … but you got rid of 2 spacers and creators for 1 spacer and creator who is horrible at passing out of double teams Amen couldn’t take advantage vs GS in playoffs - worked with SGA trainer during summer and came back with an even more broken flat jumpshot. (Lethal shooter has reached out to him 2x) praying he works with him but I doubt it
Amen's lack of a shot is a problem at times. So what should happen? Bench him? Trade him? Moving him to the dunker spot doesnt solve the core problem. So i guess its time to trade Sengun, Reed, Jabari, and Okogie since they cant shoot either evidently. Or we could just get a competent coach ,
Last year people kept comparing Amen's potential on offense to Giannis and I thought I was taking crazy pills for not seeing it at all. If this year has shown anything, it's that yeah... Amen can't just play like Giannis on offense. He is still a very good player, perhaps even all-star level player, but at this point the only way for him to effect the game in a star-like way is to be Shawn Marion, not Giannis.
I've seen this comment a bunch, but who would you want handling the ball? Everyone else was constantly coughing up the ball against the strong ball pressure.
the key to what you said is at this point. He is progressing nicely as a pg. the previous 3 games and the first half of last night's game everyone, especially the pundits, were singing his praises. If Jabari, Reed, Tari, Durant, and most importantly Ime do their jobs there is no reason to move him off ball, especially since you don't have a reasonable replacement. If last night didn't convince people that Reed is not ready, nothing will.
How is a “competent coach” going to solve the fact none of those guys can shoot? Name another contender that is playing two guys who absolutely can’t shoot for 30+ minutes together a night? Like I said, if you’re doing that the rest of the roster better be lights out shooting. Not only do we not have that, we don’t even have a true point guard. Losing FVV absolutely killed this team.
I was being facetious. Most of the time those guys can shoot. If you dont think they can, then you trade them since that is their job. We lost that game because of Ime's rotations. leaving Reed in to get cooked when he was having a bad shooting night, not playing Capella, stupidly benching Okogie for one bad defensive play, Leaving Tari out too long, Trying to force feed the ball to Sengun and Durant down the stretch. Other coaches make adjustments and Ime does not know how to counter-react.
I'll say it again for he thousandth time. Our offense sucked last year with FVV. We do miss his defense.
I wasn't dumping on your guy, just pointing out that 50% TS% was bad because it was written as if it was a good thing. Amen got exposed due to how the Spurs adjusted to him and we don't have a coach capable of competent adjustments. Also Reed was really bad and that's normally how you'd help fix spacing problems... but when he no shows, that's one less option the team has. First and foremost, the Rockets problem is coaching.
You don’t build around Westbrook or Ben Simmons or Shawn Marion or Andre Iguodala. You don’t build around Sabonis. You don’t build around Rashard Lewis. You don’t build around Jordan Clarkson. You don’t build around Seth Curry. And you certainly don’t build a house without a foundation. All so you could watch Jalen Green play. Why not just watch the Suns?
Sagging off Amen Thompson is on him for being a poor shooter, and he needs be locked in a gym with a shooting coach until he can first knock down open 10-15 footers and then three-point shots. Amen needs to fix this weakness. Frankly, it should have been addressed by now. Udoka can use Amen more as a screener, have him back cut, or keep the ball in his hands as much as possible, but those are only temporary solutions. For this problem to go away, Amen Thompson needs to be able to burn defenses for sagging off him. Considering he’s shooting 80% from the free-throw line, making open mid-range jump shots like the Spurs were giving him in the fourth quarter should be doable.
I knew at least Amen apologist would be out today to try to deflect what has been an increasing issue since mid-Novemeber (it happened before then, but has just gotten worse). SA is just the team that has the most effective rim protector such that it should be glaring even to you that Amen not being guarded is a problem. There is more basketball than the 3 games Amen was good in. The Rockets are a total +2 in the minutes without Reed since mid-November (i.e., basically an average team for an extended period of time). Reed has his own issues. Ime's only counter for Amen not being guarded has been to give Amen the ball to try to force the defender to guard him. Amen being better on ball has helped. Handing the ball to KD so Amen's man (or Okogie's man) can double team him leading to a turnover is a problem with having multiple players on the court that don't need to be guarded outside the paint. When teams do this to Sengun, Ime goes to PnR to get Sengun's defender in the action. This is the problem with being reliant on a non-shooter who is not a center. It is up to Amen to be so amazing that teams can't park his man in the paint. I don''t think the Rockets have enough shooting to pick apart teams that just pack the paint. Amen is easily in the Top 3 players for the Rockets. When teams don't guard him, and he doesn't punish them enough, things get bad.
