Should the Rockets put FVV back into the STARTING LINEUP? I know last night was against the Spurs and the Rockets have been turning the ball over at an ENORMOUS clip, especially in the 4th Qtr but I think Amen and Jalen are starting to come together as a back court. FVV has been playing PG all his life, so handling the ball and playmaking comes natural to him. Amen has played some PG, F and even Center, while Jalen has been a scorer, so it's going to take them time to learn the position. But I think they are starting to turn the corner. Although FVV is due back on Saturday, I don't think he needs to be thrust into the starting lineup. I think Ime needs to stay status quo and keep Amen and Jalen in the starting backcourt.
I think FVV will likely be inserted into the starting lineup on a minutes restriction. We had a couple of nice wins recently, but we also hit a really rough patch before that. There’s no reason to rush Amen — let him to continue to develop as PG slowly. If I were a betting man - and I am - I’d bet the starting lineup will be FVV / Green / Brooks / Amen / Sengun, with Bari and Eason playing a ton of minutes as the rotation is narrowed. The more interesting question is what to do this offseason — will we be in a position to let FVV walk?
We desperately need him back in the starting lineup. This stretch without Fred has shown how badly our team is lacking someone with PG skills (other than him), it's a major roster weakness and we don't have a long term answer for it. For the rest of this season, though, we obviously need him back playing heavy minutes. We aren't a very good team without him.
To me, this season is found money. Whatever we do in the Playoffs is icing on the cake. So, starting Jalen and Amen is helping them, as well as the team going forward. Not to mention, if they show growth, the team won't be tied to having to sign FVV to an extension of $25M - $30M per yr
Who cares where Amen starts, he does well everywhere. He can run floor general from anywhere if we want. FVV is our best floor spacing role player. Spacing is about fear and respect. Brooks may be averaging a higher three-point % temporarily however defenses respect Vanvleet more than Brooks. Also he can take over the offense to calm us down sometimes and organizes the defense well. What is the obsession with Amen guarding PG's? Isn't one of the best things about him that you don't have to pigeon-hole him into a specific position? How do we take advantage of that? On offense he can do the same thing regardless, you don't choose who guards you. There's no such thing as choosing someone's offensive position. Position is only about defense now. If you're on the floor with 4 bigger players you're most likely going to need to help your team guard smaller players. No opportunity to switch down and I would much rather have him on the floor with 2 smaller and 2 bigger defenders. That means his versatility and switchability is on full display. He can guard up or down 2 spots. He's not restricted to guarding smaller players who on average are less impactful players. Also love his rebounding in the frontcourt to make up for Brooks. Everyone dancing around it but it's Brooks guys. It's always been Brooks who should sit. We need FVV's discipline and we need Jabari's height/wingspan/rebounding/shotblocking.
Yeah, sure, we're going to bench the guy we're paying max money after going through the worst stretch of the season right after he went out. Fred should definitely start when he comes back. However, he should play off the ball much more often than early on in the season (and I think he was already doing this to some degree in the weeks before he went down). He should also play fewer minutes, it's no wonder he got hurt while playing one of the highest MPG in the league.
Unpopular opinion but I think Amen should come off the bench when FVV is back. He's now clearly the 2nd best PG on the team, so he should always be in the game when FVV sits, and it's much easier to stagger their minutes when he's off the bench. He's also been FVV's injury replacement, so from a chemistry standpoint he's the easiest guy to move to the bench. The only important thing is that Amen is in the closing lineup, which I think at this point he's proven worthy of.
The team has finally found their groove without him, so he should probably come off the bench for a few games....just to not upset the apple cart. DD
I don't mind it. I'm also good with Amen remaining a starter and either Dillon or Jabari coming off the bench. There are pros and cons with any of those three options IMO. The most important thing is that Amen plays starter-level minutes (well above 30mpg) and closes games.
See, I think its Fred's guy. If Fred is not in the starting lineup, then they are starting; Jalen, Amen, Brooks, Jabari and Sengun. We become a taller team, better rebounding team and a better defensive team. I think Jabari is more important to the starting unit, than FVV. I think we began to panic when Fred was out of the lineup, because the increased turnovers and lack of ball movement in the 4th qtr. But as I stated before, it's going to take Jalen and Amen time to master the 4th qtrs. They were doing good qtrs 1 - 3! I think having FVV come off the bench when needed can give Ime and Stone a good indicator if he's needed next yr.
Thank you for sharing my thoughts on FVV. I no longer have to comment anything about that as I agree with all of that. However, I don't think Brooks should sit. Dillon Brooks is currently a better offensive and defensive player than Jabari Smith. He's our best 3-point shooter among our top-7 guys by far. Spacing is our greatest weakness. Jabari should be one of the first two guys off the bench with Tari. Hopefully, Jabari improves over the summer and can earn a starting spot. He hasn't shown that he deserves this so far this season.
Jabari has to get back into a rhythm. Remember he started the season, the same way. The first 10 games. However, I think his defense, shot blocking presence and rebounding are greatly needed in the starting lineup more so than FVV. Fred is needed at the end of games, when the offense stalls or the guards are turning the ball over. Other than that, when is he needed?
I just think Jalen and Amen are finding a groove and that lineup last night seemed to fit both offensively and defensively. Besides, it's easier for Fred to come off the bench, than Jabari. If Jabari comes off the bench, he would be subbing at the 4 and the 5, thus he would be trying to find his shot both inside and outside, whereas FVV only plays one position, a position he's played all along.
FVV is back Saturday night?!!?! YES!!!! That's the game wifey and I will be attending!! YESSS!!!!! Full roster!
Of course Jalen, Amen, Brooks, Jabari, Sengun is a better rebounding and a better defensive team than FVV, Jalen, Amen, Jabari, Sengun. Considering the offense typically stalls or is less effective without FVV, he is probably needed pretty much as much as he can play. If only there was a way to get FVV for offense, Sengun at center, and have three of Amen, Brooks, Tari, and JSJ to enable the most switchable defense while maintaining rebounding. It seems like people are dancing around someone that isn't Brooks (while Brooks is replaceable, there is someone else...)
Fred has a lot of career experience playing both on and off the ball. It was what he did most of his time in Toronto, flipping back and forth between point guard and shooting guard. You just start him but have him run the offense less often. As far as Jabari coming off the bench--I think it would probably be good for us long term if he got reps playing as the backup center. It's the only way we can ever play 5 out unless we trade for a backup center who can shoot it.
