It's been a full 4 years now since Zion was at his peak. Based on his play style/skill level/health i don't expect him to ever return to that level. He's also as bad a fit as exists with amen and sengun. Would be insane to give up anything for him.
So Zion at 24 yrs old, playing at his lowest weight ever (+20 lbs under rookie weight) and averaging 25 PPG, 5 AST + 7 REB is washed? Zion is playing LEVELS above any player on Rockets right now, pick any favorite from core 7. And it's not even close.
His contract is only guaranteed one year at a time, so for 1 pick and filler sure if he doesn’t get hurt the rest of this year (lol).
I used to be higher on a Zion trade, but Amen stepping up has made me less of a Zion person. I know Amen has not played well recently, but I put a lot of that on him just getting way overworked recently and young players always run into that wall where they run out of steam. I still believe the Rockets need to build around Amen, and Zion doesn't really fit that. I honestly would rather have Naz Reid in a S&T than Zion at this point.
He’s not necessarily washed, but he’s not the guy he was at his peak 4 years ago. He’s a good player, but a poor fit and not someone you can build a contender around because of his weaknesses. He’s also basically never plays.
Rockets need both Naz AND Zion. Zion and Amen play very different but necessary roles on a contender. Zion is a legit +25 PPG scorer + primary perimeter creator while Amen is the defensive superstar + secondary creator. Rockets cannot wait for Alp or Jalen to become special scoring threat that Zion already is + he was this from day ONE in NBA.
Injuries, weight, off court issues, etc. would be only reasons talents like Zion or Luka ever become available. Rockets are desperately in need of a star of this caliber to take next step.
Well if you want to trade away Sengun I can definitely see the Zion+Amen fit better. I still like Sengun better myself so I wouldn't it. And also zero chance the Rockets move on from Sengun for Zion. It's the type of move that will get a GM fired and Stone is the definition of a GM who plays to not get fired.
I honestly do not believe Rockets need to give up either Amen, Alp or Jalen to acquire Zion. But Zion's role is Jalen's current role, primary perimeter creator + scorer. And I also believe Zion fits with Sengun, just like Amen fits with Sengun. High IQ players always figure it out. That said, Rockets should consider all options.
Stone isn't stupid he knows that Sengun is not good enough to be the best player on the team, and his efficiency isn't high enough, you can trade him for Zion and both teams get better. DD
A packed paint does not matter to Zion Williamson. Even with spacers, opposing defenses still keep 3 near rim, to no avail.
Your anti-Sengun bias is too rampant and rabid. Rockets do not need to trade Alp to acquire Zion. Good teams do not give up their best player to improve.
I know folks call it bias, but it isn't, just facts. I like Sengun, but I also know that he will bring the most in a trade, and I don't believe in him as a STAR NBA player, his defense is atrocious and teams pick on him relentlessly..... We are in an era of 3 balls and his stinks...... So, if we can flip him for a better player, then we do it...... My ONLY agenda is to make the Rockets better and closer to a competing for a ring, Zion does that. DD
Alperen is having a great year defensively, at top of NBA in defensive rating, so please stop this disinformation. https://espnanalytics.com/nba-net-pts Sengun is #1 in defensive net points. https://www.si.com/nba/rockets/news/houston-rockets-alperen-sengun-quietly-having-great-defensive-season#:~:text=Believe or not, Sengun has,other side of the ball And it took Jokic 6 seasons before shooting league average 36% 3P or better (prior 5 seasons were under 33% except for one outlier season). Good teams do not give up on players with his unicorn skillsets + early prodiction based simply on a fan's aesthetics. https://www.espn.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/3112335/nikola-jokic
No, he isn't teams pick on him in the PnR - he sucks, he drops back leaving them a wide open shot, or a layup. He has moments of decent defense, but overall, he just isn't good at it. He also struggles against bigger more athletic players - his efficiency is lower than it needs to be shooting under 50% is ridiculous as close as he is to the rim. Go watch the Sacremento game and see how many wide open 3-5 footers they get as Sengun drops under the basket - that is why Sacremento owns us, Sengun can't guard the paint well enough. I know folks love him, I think he is a great guy, but he is not a guy to build around, he is just not good enough. And please stop with the Jokic nonsense, just because one does it doesn't mean others will, we don't have a league full of Jokics....do we? DD
How many teams took that gamble on an often injured mega star and ended up reaping the benefits of it to push them to another level? Not a lot Yeah it can work for part of the season but once persistent injuries are a part of a player's career, they very rarely shake that and come out the same player. Eric Gordon is one of the only I can think of who shook early career injuries and had a long career after it - but he was also a very different player post injuries than he was before...and no one was paying him the Max at that point. On the surface AD maybe fits that description but.... the Lakers traded for him as an often injured player and won a title with him but it was during the pandemic so it wasn't exactly the same - basically AD got a 4 month break before resuming the post all star break and title run which is obviously very fortunate for a player with durability issues.
MJ broke his foot and came back to win 6. Hakeem had pfliebitis Lots of guys come back and do better, even Curry as a more recent example...... DD
