This team has too many players without clear roles

We need to chill with the franchise talk, they're all believing it.

 

The starting lineup was a +10 last night in a game we lost by 5.

 

I lot of posters on this board obviously have played the game and know a lot about basketball. BUT, the Rockets are paying the coaching staff a boat load of money. If they can't figure it out, they need to be replaced. Kind of like the Texan's coaching staff.

 

They need to shorten the rotation. Don’t play Sheppard, give his minutes to cam.

Cut brooks and Jabari’s minutes and give them to Amen and Tari.

 

Pace is actually a great way to solve this issue. If you want to play through Freddy, then you need to start Tari over Brooks for the slight upgrade in shooting and ball handling. Freddy and Jalen can run the show with Alpi and Tari and Bari can absolutely sit in the corner or crash the boards.

When Freddy sits, the tempo needs to go WAY up regardless if it's Reed or Amen playing the point. If we can't run with Amen/Jalen/Cam/Tari/Bari with someone like Adams or Reed dropping good outlet passes, something is wrong. And even if we can't get anything going in transition, let Reed or Amen run the high PnR with Jock (who can pop out) and then let Amen cut into the dunker's spot with the strong side player rotating up and the weak side fading to the corner to keep them from helping. This is all pretty simple. Adding Brooks to a situation like that is great because he can bust his ass on defense and still hit a few spot up 3s or post up 1s who get switched onto him in a rotation.

 

We need Tilman to interfere! Threaten Ime

 

Green, Sengun, and FVV gobble up all the shots and everyone else is left with the crumbs

last night

FVV - 18 shots
Green - 23 shots in 35 minutes
Sengun - 22 shots in 33 minutes
Jabari - 7 shots in 33 minutes (he’s PJ Tucker atp)
Dillon Brooks - 2 points in 31 minutes

 

Interesting that OP brought up the Magic and Thunder because they both have young, highly drafted players (Black, Howard, even Cole Anthony for the Magic; Wallace, Giddey for the Thunder) who's ceilings have been curtailed somewhat because their development had to be sacrificed for the stars. I'm sure there are pockets of their fan bases, just like here, who strongly advocate for the star potentials of those players but unfortunately, you're gonna have to make a choice eventually and clearly define those players' roles even if they are still young and full of potential. There's no world where all 7 of these guys are Allstars. Probably not even 4 and eventually we're gonna stop treating them like unlimited pools of potential and just accept them for who they are.

 

Like I said, Ime Udoka isn't going to bench Dillon Brooks - he sees him as his most trusted defender and he's a defensive coach.

Unless Stone trades him, or Udoka is replaced, Dillon is going to start and play a lot.

 

Yes, this is absolutely right. Last year's success was mainly due to the addition of vets. Now we need to see the young core step up and close out games.

 

No rhythm, no philosophy, no chemistry, no ball movement, we just needed more defense, they all took good shots.

 

We are back to the JVG era. Great on defense.

Unimaginative on offense. Give the ball to the ball-handling guards and let them do their things. Or pound it in to the post and let the center do his things. Everybody else, just get ready in case the ball is passed to you.

 

That’s likely part of it and it doesn’t help our offense seems to be too do whatever you want for players to get clearly defined tasks, roles and ways to help the team. I’ve never seen a young team this stagnant, not passing and moving around so little w/ fast breaks 90% of the time leading to threes rather than attacking the basket.

 

Not a SOF by any means, but with Rockets scuffling & the game tied at 93, Udoka took out Sengun for Green at 4:52
The next few possessions:


Missed FT by Thompson
Hornets TO
Missed Jumper by Smith
Grant Williams (somehow) wins jump ball vs Thompson (WTF)
FVV Made 3
Hornets Made 3
FVV Made 2 FTs
Hornets Made 2
Green Missed 3
Hornets Made 2
FVV Missed 3
Hornets Made 3

Sengun checks back in after TO

103-98, the game was not over at this point but the Hornets had an 84% win probability

I know Sengun was sucking a bit in the second half because of the double team, but he's the best halfcourt offense the Rockets have, and having Charlotte double him makes it easier for the other 4 players.

 

We ultimately lose when Fred's shot is off

 

As I said Udoka could not cope with Grant Williams who was a former player of his when he was in Boston.

 

JVG took the job as seriously as wanting to seriously consider retirement forever.

 

This group of players need a movement based offensive passive read/react system. In the same vein of Princeton, Adelman's teams, Triangle Off, GSW's system.

I was hoping something along these lines would have been implement but there has not aspects of any kind of movement based offensive system used at all. Honestly, it makes me question Udoka that this wasn't done in the off season and pre season. It's not something a team can learn during the course of the season.

I'd even be okay if they showed elements of it but they are just making mistakes with it right now even if they resulted in some losses, but there isn't any semblance of an attempt right now.

 

YUP

DD

 

Unfortunately the game has changed. The players don't just need to cut more, or do more offball movement, or set more screens.

All successful modern NBA offenses work off of the threat of the three pointer. Kerr's Warriors, the Harden Rockets, the Nuggets, the Celtics etc. They work because unless you stay home at the 3 point line, they will take and make enough 3's to kill you with a 120 or 130 or 140 ORtg.

Ime could put the most beautiful 2016 Golden State motion offense in place with split cuts and back picks galore. Our offense would still be mediocre. Defenses would just sag off every action and pack the paint like they do now, and challenge us to hit open threes... just like Charlotte did last night and OKC did in the preseason.

In games where the defense believes we'll make open 3's if they let us shoot them, our offense (whatever it is) will look good. In games where they don't believe it and we can't prove them wrong, it will look gross, because the defense can guard 18 feet with 5 guys instead of 24 feet. That's basketball in 2024.