If he wasn't his M.O in college, I would believe you, that he could turn things around. I know you have heard several scouts and GMs say, the same way you play in college, you tend to play at the Pro Level. Basketball is Basketball. The only changes from highschool to college to the NBA is getting use to the speed and strength of each level of play. Everything else primarily remains the same. However, there are some players who improve upon their skills; shooting, strength, passing but consistency is not one of them. Have you ever seen a player improve their consistency??
a good reminder that Reed Sheppard is only 21 years old. Steve Nash was a Senior at Santa Clara University at the same age. Steve Nash, Kyle Lowry, Gary Payton, Chauncy Billups.. these guys all averaged better statistics in their 30s than their 20s. Point guard has the steepest learning curve and the fact that Reed could win 6moty tells me he is ahead of schedule.
No good scouts say that about players in only 1 year of college. And tons of players have improved consistency, judging by your inane logic Amen isn’t ever going to learn to shoot, right? Hogwash DD
I added youngish to the criteria and why I think Ware probably matches better than most that might be available. The cost for that kind of player is going to be very high, because of supply and demand. Folks thinking they are getting a guy like Ware and adding Herro for Sengun are delusional. Sengun has a lot of offensive skills and could become something special with the right front-court mate like Chet Holmgren or even Evan Mobley. Adebayo might be a decent match with him, but not sure he has the length and height to be able to both guard the perimeter and get back to help Sengun. Sengun is not and never will be a PF like some propose. I think for Sengun to be your center the rest of your team has to be both elite on defense and good outside shooters for the team to be championship caliber (kind of like Hartenstein and OKC). The only guys that meet the criteria and might be available are Ware, Myles Turner, Clingan and Okongwu. Turner has injury concerns and may be on the downhill side of his career, but his salary is reasonable. I could see Utah desirous of Sengun, but I don’t see how they could make him fit with Lauri defensively. The best bets are Ware and Okongwu. I have no idea if Atlanta or Miami would be interested and the price in assets would be high. I think the Rockets keep Sengun another year and hope either him or Amen develop an outside shot. It still won’t solve our defensive issues with Reed, Durant, and Sengun in the lineup. FVV can help solve the defensive issues, but our offense will suck. SG and Center have to be addressed at some point, unless Reed and Sengun really surprise us with improvement in their deficiencies in one off-season.
The franchise PG is unlikely to help the team at SG.... but it's true the position will have to be addressed if Amen can't learn how to shoot. You shouldn't give up on him so soon though, Amen is still young, he could turn things around.
Amen isn't really playing as a guard - he's playing as the 4 most of the time in the half court offense. Reed / KD / Jabari are the 1-2-3 Amen the 4 and Sengun the 5. Essentially playing him in the Draymond Green role in the half court. That team was able to function with two non shooters on the floor but most of the time the other big wasn't camping out in the paint but setting (moving*) picks for Curry and Draymond was the garbage man, doing a little bit of everything. Amen is just the better athlete and better at getting downhill .... better handles too, just not point guard handles.
If the Rockets don't just run it back - my guess is that they target someone Giannis or another older star. What they should do is take a step back and move Sengun for a lottery pick in this draft, in the 4-8 range -- and see what interest there is in the Suns picks..... draft someone like Darius Acuff or Kingston Flemings. The Rockets never should have dealt the Nets pick in this draft -but cannot do anything about that. Build a backcourt of Flemings/Sheppard or Acuff/Sheppard and move Amen over to the forward spot long term setting up a Smith/Thompson tandem at the 3/4
Yes - an actual plan with detailed depth -- other than "trade star for picks", suck for 3 years - hire coach and profit. There needs to be someone that is a visionary -- that knows what style the future of the game will have - that can identify players and personalities that fit that style - that will hire people that are great at their job, and not be intimidated about it --- and will play the long game.
I still like Shepherd. He is very young and improving. He flashes superior shooting skills, impressive hops, and improving defense. He has quick hands on defense. I think he will get better and better. What is his ceiling? TBD. Comparing him to the "greats" is unfair. A "good" pro is a superior basketball player. They are "all" good or they would not be in the NBA.
This is about where I've landed too. It's Turner after Giannis gets dealt (assuming it actually happens) or it's Okongwu or Ware. The latter two may be hard to pry away, but they're the players most likely to be available for the right price, all things given. I doubt we get any of these guys. Like you said, they probably run it back with Sengun and hope the occasional flashes of outside shooting he's shown become something more consistent. And that might not even be the wrong call, as much as I badly want to see what Amen would look like alongside a stretch 5. Maybe the most likely bet would just be to draft a center who shows some shooting potential and pray the pick hits. I'm sure a lot of Cougars fans around here would love to see us get back into the 2026 draft in a position to draft Cenac Jr.
I agree with the approach just not the roster construction, but that’s not a secret to anyone. We should move Sengun if the price is right, but the target should be a rim protector. Moving Amen off the ball is a mistake, so putting him back in the dunker spot should be a non-starter. His role right now is fine, where sometimes he initiates and sometimes he plays the dunker role. Anybody thinking he has not improved his handle and his offensive impact is just stuck in their initial prognosis and not paying attention to his progression as an on-ball creator and convinced he will be the same shooter for a long time. I like Reed’s progression, but, in my opinion, he needs another season to prove himself as a core starter. If he is a starter, then Sengun has to go. I don’t think it is disingenuous to say Sengun’s defense won’t improve much given his body type and being slow of foot. In any case, trading for Giannis would be a brain-dead move, especially since he is a rental or you will have to extend him. I also think major trades are very dangerous given what I perceive as Ime’s influence on the roster. You don’t pass up a sweetheart trade, this off-season, but it might be smart to run it back until he is replaced.
Moving Amen more and more off ball is what turned his season around. He was looking rough when Ime forced him to pretend to be a PG, but once they admitted failure and had others, especially Reed Sheppard handle the ball more, it unlocked Amen. If they had Sheppard starting at the PG spot all season, Amen would have been an all star. I know you are worried about other young players stealing some shine from your guy, but it's simply not how that works.
