Ime Udoka: "Chet Holmgren shouldn't be pushing guys around so easily"

I mean, he's not wrong.

 

our young core is so outclassed by OKC’s it’s not even funny

 

Fred: 2-11
Jalen: 6-17
Amen: 1-5
Dillon: 3-9

12-42 FG

Alpi was 8-13.

3-point shooting:

Jabari: 1-6
Dillon: 1-6
Fred: 1-7
Jalen: 2-6

That's 5-25 on threes by these four players...many of them quite wide open.

Get some high percentage shooters, like Reed Sheppard. Freaking BUILD AROUND ALPI, SURROUND HIM WITH SHOOTERS.

 

To me it wasn't the Chet quote that stood out.

It was the response to the Alperen game planning that we are seeing from other teams, and our own guys not making wide-open shots.

 

Reed Sheppard should be the number 1 target this off-season.

 

Let's not forget Bol played like a beast in previous game.

Our players are just soft.

 

I don't want to sound like a nutty Sengun fanatic but ime really seems like he hates Sengun sometimes!

 

True enough, but mostly we shot 23% from 3 and we shot them well to start the game. Did we go 3 for 30 from 3 in the last three quarters? I dunno but it was something like that... only making 2/3 of your free throws instead of 7 or 8 out of 10 is another hole in the tire.

You can yell about defense, but the offense/ poor shooting is dragging the D down over time.

 

What makes you say that? I didn't get that impression at all in this video.

 

sure but it's increasingly probable that the Rockets ridiculous early season defensive success was a mirage based on opponent having bad shooting luck.

Rockets improved on defense from horrible to just ok, not to good or elite

 

I don't mind that they're outclassed by SGA, who is a 6th-year star player in the prime of his career--but we shouldn't be getting beat up on by J-Dub and Chet.

 

Jabari is not a STAR player, we are just lowering our bar when we talk about Jalen. Jalen is not a elite shooter or good shooter, I believe he is a average shooter. He gets BEAT UP every night under the basket. He played bad tonight! Jabari shot the ball 16 times and scored only 18 points?!!
He is a very inefficient shooter so far in the NBA. He was 7 for 16 tonight and his FG% was 43%, and was 1 for 6 at 16% at the 3 point line. Only positive thing he did was rebounding!! HOWEVER, he is 6’11 and taller than most Power Forwards he goes against every night.

 

The evidence doesn't support this take, especially when you factor in the injuries.

Even a middling defense playing 6 kindergartners is remarkable, but check this out:

1. 8th in DEF RTG
2. 5th in OPP PTS OFF TOV
3. 13 in 2nd Chance OPP PTS
4. 1st in OPP PTS Fast Break
5. 10th in PTS in the Paint
6. 5th in OPP FG%
7. 6th in Team Defensive Efficiency

Etc... Eager to see your response to the data. We are a good defensive team, playing babies.

 

Opposing teams missing their star players probably had a bigger impact

 

I think fans seeing what they want to see has the most impact...

 

Yep.

Rockets defense is not the issue and it'd be A TON better if Tari was in there. Tari-Bari-Brooks lineups were VERY hard for any team to score against. Tari-Amen-Bari trio is VERY difficult since a guard can't just switch. You'll be switching from Tari to Brooks or Bari or Amen or vice versa.

Rockets defensively are not the issue.

The problem is the garbage shooting and offense. The poor offense is hurting them because they are bricking and turning the ball over which doesn't allow them to set up their defense.

The defense is average in the league, a massive improvement from the joke of last season but not good enough to make up for what has been pretty terrible offense.

I think people are just way overthinking this. We're just not there yet. Our core is still literally under 22 years of age, we added two middling vets that weren't needle movers, this is about what we should have all expected...and when the board was polled before the season its exactly what people expected of this team.

 

I see a **** team that is a pretender instead of a contender with $70M wrapped up next year is mid AF players and no franchise players or pick playing behind teams like OKC that outclass us in every way shape and form. What do you see?

 

Yeah, I think we can play good defense, but we also have exploitable holes that have been sussed out. Sengun can be bullied by big centers, and lobbed over by athletic ones. Jgreen is not a good defender even if he is trying this year. Brooks is too slow to cover the quick guards, Jabari not strong enough for the big forwards. Not many complaints about FVV's D but the guys he plays against, Curry, Trey, Mitchell, Fox, Murray, Harden, Brunson, Maxey, Kyrie etc.. is just murderers row, often it doesn't matter how well you're playing D when they start hitting 27 footers. I really think there is more to the defense crashing that a those flaws... I really think the poor shooting hurts the defense. How could it not? It sure seems that way watching body language.


Could be different next year with Adams, Tari, and Thompson more in the mix.

 

yes we should…those are both legit star level young prospects that are already proving it on the court