ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Bulls 1/10/2024

only one player missed more than one

 

At the start yes but at the end he kept chucking shots and missing and that's what cost the game. Alpi was rolling and even if he wasn't he had the vision to pass to cutters the ball should've gone to him instead Alpi was setting picks for Cam 3s and mid range.

 

No, he gets more leeway because he does numerous other things to contribute positively to the team.

Jalen doesn't.

You're on drugs at this point.

 

Sengun celebrated way too early when he was on a roll

 

If Sengun and VanVleet want to play a 2 man game in the 4th quarter of games, I'm fine with it as long as it brings wins. But it makes the other three players just spot-up shooters sitting and waiting for a pass to have a shot.

 

He is reading game in the recent games.I think that is the big improvement in this year because Silas never teach him how to playing NBA level basketball

 

Jalen does, but man people like to get stuck into young players. Jalen was -4................Fred was -10 today for all those +/- people who like +/-

 

You can teach a player lots in the first or second season and it never clicks in games until the 4th or 5th year. Jalen also is putting more weight on him which is allowing him to go for more rebounds and not be pushed away. He is almost averaging 5rpg

 

Goodness gracious me.

His weight is the reason he's getting more rebounds now?

It's not because he NEVER used to crash the glass from the perimeter? Now it literally seems like it's all he focuses on during a game so he can point to a statistical category and say 'see I did that'.

Hahahaha Jalen is getting more rebounds because he put on weight.

Good lord dude, you're on fire after today's game.

 

you just don't get it

 

Jabari played a good game today. I feel as if he is taking the same shots as last season but he is hitting more of them. There were calls last season to let him be more than a spot-up shooter. This season he has been a bit of the same. He still rushes some shots, but he is hitting more of them.

 

So we have won more home games than last season. we just have to fix our away games up.
Last season we were 10-26 at this point of the season
This season we are 18-18 and fighting for a Playoff spot.
Last season we had won 4 away games at this point
This season we have won 3
I'd rather be in the position we are now than last season.

 

Have you watched Jalen the whole 36 games?

Do you really think him playing a little better this game than in the other games, it makes those 36 games way better?

He was consecutively benched by Udoker to make a point.

Even the biggest Jalen fan said at a point that he was a disappointment .....

Right now, he is a 38% FG 30% 3 pt, 15 ppg 4 apg guy......on the road.

He passes more because he cannot shoot well on the road.

 

Ime adjusted, got Tate out, trusted Jeff & Cam and we rode Sengun to OT. I am wondering what play Ime drew up in OT there and if it was for that crazy shot Sengun made to get it to 119-114. Crazy right after it was Cam, then Jalen, then FVV and very little Sengun...growing pains. What we need to learn from this game and take with is for the next games:

- start Jeff or Cam, no more Tate starting. It's about fit more than anything, Tate fits better with that second unit and I like seeing how Cam handles it or going big with Jeff. Ime just has to make sure one of Jeff, Sengun or Jabari is on the court at all times.
- Sengun has to be more aggressive from the jump.
- FVV has to know when he's hot and when he's not.
- Cam has to take those threes like the look he got in OT, ride or die with it, don't go for the tougher 2. Same goes for Jalen! Or attack the basket to put pressure on their defense.
- As a team, we have to involved Jabari more and recognize when he's wide freaking open. He's a very solid 3pt shooter, close to 40% and one of the few who can cleanly get off a contested one. This is why that shot to win it at the end of regulation was a good one, even if he shot it horribly haha.

 

Pretty sure the rebounding is by design from Udoka. Not sure why you are framing it a bad thing. Our front line is not big, we are making a conscious effort to team rebound and not leak out as much as last year.

Didn't Udoka dedicate an entire practice in the beginning of the season just for everyone to crash the board.

 

There’s a few reasons.

I don’t think Jalen was awful but Cam scored 2 less points on 7 fewer shots. I think Cam is Jalen insurance.

Rockets are going to start having to pay these guys real money pretty soon and you can’t pay everybody. If they continue on this current trajectory Cam will be the better player moving forward and will be cheaper for longer.

Also, I’d rather have Tari and/or Brooks on the floor instead of Jalen.

I think we can find bench scorers that are more consistent and shoot better than Jalen in the open market as well.

Also, it’s a myth that Jalen is being hounded by the opposing teams best defender all night. Folks keep saying this like teams are putting their best guy on him and tell them to stay on him all game.

https://www.nba.com/stats/team/1610612745/matchups?Matchup=Offense

Fred is actually seeing tougher defenders when he has the ball in his hands.

 

You make some great points and I can’t really refute any of them.

Just using today as an example, Jalen had Caruso on him for some of the time but as you said, Caruso was on FVV more—I think what it is is that Jalen tends to turn the ball over more when defended by elite defenders so I notice it more when they’re on him.

As of now, I don’t believe Jalen has earned anywhere close to a big contract, so the money thing isn’t quite a problem in my eyes yet.

As for Cam, I’m just as high on him as you are, though I’m not quite sure he’s ready for the secondary playmaking responsibilities that Jalen has kind of had to assume just because there’s nobody else on the roster to really do it. I don’t really know where his ceiling is but it’s looking pretty incredible…he’s just not ready yet.

I think our main difference in view lies with how much patience we have with Jalen’s development. And, admittedly, I wouldn’t be so patient with him if he wasn’t our first high pick and “core” piece. I’d just like to give him the chance to learn more from Ime and then figure out what exactly to do with him

 

You have to have patience with young players and he is young.

 

Like with merchants we all have our bottom line with patience and mine is at 1 year right now.

Coincidentally after one year the Rockets are forced to make a decision.

 

It's a team game, and this was a close one. I don't see any point in trying to pin this loss on any one person.

If the ball bounces our way, or Alpi hits one of several makeable jumpers (or more of his missed FTs), or Cam gets a break and draws a foul on that 4th quarter dunk at the rim, or the team doesn't give up key offensive rebounds, or we don't shoot 24% from 3,... the list goes on.

It seemed like it took three quarters for our young guys to figure out their rotations on D. Eventually, we contested their shots better in the 4th. Alpi got on track a bit and showed the Chicago fans his all-star-level play for about 3 or 4 possessions.

Our young group is scratching the surface and many of Bulls's starters were seven to ten years older. I hate losing games but brighter days are coming.