They are playing much faster since Sengun went down. Before it was run PR with Sengun on post him in half court offense. Now it’s run and gun 3s. I don’t know what’s better, but this version of the rockets is much more entertaining.
You could argue that we are better, if you ignore some factors 1) the streak started with Alpi and he had some of his best games right before the injury. 2) we are playing some of the worst teams with the exception of Cavs and Bulls but even those teams are very inconsistent. 3) we play a completely new brand of basketball which catches teams off guard. Sooner or later better opponents will adapt their defenses like they did with the Alpi centric offense. 4)JG is always a different player after ASB with or without Alpi. He shoots better, he even moves better. Hard to explain why Alpi would be the reason for his struggles before the ASB. 5) it's not unheard of that teams go on a run at the end of the season because you face a lot of teams that are tanking or resting. 6) players like Amen and even Jock progressed very nicely over the season and are able to contribute. 7) it's ridiculous to have this discussion about a player who is known for his unselfishness and his passing. If this team keeps on playing and shooting like this and we add Alpi, and (Tari, Adams Cam) we are very tough to beat. Teams will be forced to defend him one on one and we saw how that works out against generational defender Wemby. Or they continue to double team him which opens up shots for other players.
When offense went through Sengen, everyone just wait for open shots genersted by him and JG is terrible at catch and shoot(30%). Dude needs ball in his hands, dribble dribble and get in rhythm and shoot.
There is no reason why they can't move when Şengün has the ball. He would probably be even better in a constantly moving offense.
Let's see how the Rockets perform when they play the teams ahead of them in the standings. They played the bottom tiered teams so far, and the Cavs, Bulls, and Jazz were not at full strength. Let's not be ahead of ourselves. The resurgence of Jalen needs to be seen in the context of the whole season and not just the past few games, although it would be great if he can be consistent as they move forward. Amen is the real revelation during this win streak. The last few games of the season will give us a glimpse of the possibilities in the next season.
I hope they can mesh together but sometimes players just don't fit, then they have to make a decision which direction to go.
the entire idea that we are a better team without sengun is ridiculous and needs to stop. we would have been on this winning streak with sengun healthy anyway, because we've been playing some of the worst teams in the nba during the softest part of our schedule of this season.
I think you have the best of 2 worlds and any organization would be wise to at least give it 1 or 2 seasons before declaring which system is better. There is no rush IMO all those guys are just 21 or 22 or going to be 23. The NBA is a Circus and now we are witnessing a magnificent Show by the Rockets.
The challenge for the coaches next year will be how to incorporate this type of style into the offense without negating what senguin does best. I was convinced earlier in the year that green should be traded not bc I don't have faith in him but bc I was convinced that he can't excel in how they wanted to play offense. He is now showing if you play to what suits him, he can be special
There were already questions about Senguns fit in Udokas system before the season even started. This should come as no surprise to anyone here.
That’s an overly simplistic and generalized view of the situation and you are assuming that the rest of the team is playing at the level they played when Green wasn’t playing well. This is inaccurate since we have also seen the rise of Thompson, Landale, and Holliday. The small lineup also has allowed more spacing, switching, and fast break opportunities. Team game. Let’s stop blaming Jalen
What teams are resting? Can you specifically point out which teams rested their players or tanking. You also left out the Kings. The issue with Sengun is when he plays the offense runs thru him. The team’s frequency in playing high screen and roll or feeding him in the post is very high with Sengun and FVV dominating touches. With a lot of teams sagging their wings and corners to clog the paint since Sengun isn’t a stretch 5 there were few driving lanes and Green was stuck As 3rd option. Some games he played well when he had more touches and was ball handler in those high screen sets. This was the issue all year. But Green is playing with more aggression and confidence even in those Suns games with Sengun.
Sengun much like Jokic needs certain types of players around him since the offense is ran thru him. Denver doesn’t have a high scoring ball dominant guard the likes of SGA, Morant etc. Instead they have Murray who isn’t a great paint scorer or off the dribble player. He is a great shooter and can execute high screen and roll. They surrounded Jokic with shooters through the years (Barton, Harris, Pope, porter) and defensive guys (Gordon, Brown). And they added vets like Jeff Green and Jackson in their championship year. For a Sengun centric offense to thrive the Rockets roster would need similar type players. But the Rockets have a dynamic SG that needs the ball in his hands to create and make plays. This combined with the fact Sengun isn’t a stretch 5 makes the offense predictable as teams consistently stack the paint against the Rockets. I don’t think Sengun can play with Green. The only happy medium for them to play together is less FVV or trading FVV and getting a good 3 pt shooting and defensive pg the likes of Bane or in the mold of Derek Fisher. That’s why the Lakers worked. The touches were dominated by shaq and kobe.
It wasn’t that long ago the Rockets couldn’t beat teams like the Blazers Nets or Grizzlies with Sengun. There’s no guarantee for wins in the NBA.
Folks acting like the post game is obsolete or some sht the way folks trying to spin it that green can't play alongside sengun. We were 4-1 before sengun went down. Quit making sht up like sengun was holding green back
The winning streak means nothing. Its the pace & the noted aggressiveness of the defense with Sengun out. We're beating teams playing a better brand of basketball
Will four greyhounds and a turtle ever mesh? Those greyhounds want to run. Turtle is a very good turtle, but turtle is no greyhound.
So is the argument that Jalen only plays well when he has the ball in his hands in a fast-paced heliocentric offense where he predominantly drives in transition and takes lots of stepback jumpers? Because if so, I don't think that is an argument in his favor. That kind of sh*t works against bad defenses, or against decent defenses that are taking the night off during the dog days of the regular season. It is not a style of play built for playoff success. Being able to push the pace is good, but you also need to be able to execute in the halfcourt if you want to win championships. For the record, though, I think most of Jalen's turnaround is because his jump shot is looking better. It opens everything up for him. Has nothing to do with Sengun either way.
