This was, is, and will continue to be the dumbest possible narrative regarding the Rockets. Hilarious some fans actually are dumb enough to believe this.
So, the more I think about it, the more my concern really isn’t with Jalen and Sengun. It’s with Jalen, Sengun, AND Amen. I’m a pretty firm believer that it is hard to win with more than one non-shooter on the floor. Of our four young prospects who have started, two, at the moment, are non-shooters (Amen and Sengun), one is a below average shooter who is starting to shoot better (Green), and one is a decent shooter (Bari). To make these four work, Green has to become a more consistent shooter and one of Sengun/Amen needs to develop an outside shot. I really hope that happens, because I really like the fit of these four otherwise.
Sengun plays well with Tari, I view amen in the role hes currently asked to play the better version of eason so it's doable
Eason was hitting .36 of his 3s before he went down. He didn’t take a ton, but teams at least had to guard him on the perimeter.
It's not really a Jalen vs Sengun discussion - it's a "you have room in the new collective bargaining agreement(CBA) for TWO max contracts(and several mid tier contracts) so choose who you rebuild around wisely because it might mean you have to say goodbye to other players you drafted with high ceilings who might be able to also fetch a max deal". There is a scenario where you can sign 3 max guys(and one or two mid tier deals), but then you are fielding the rest of the roster with vet minimum guys and likely having to let everyone else go so in that scenario you better be damn sure those 3 guys are all top 15 players - I don't think we can definitely say this about any of our young guys yet so this scenario is not feasible at this point. But back to the "two max guys" scenario - if you sign Jalen and/or Sengun - are you sure guys like Jabari, Cam, and Amen aren't also going to demand a max deal, and if so are you willing to watch them go? Jabari is NOT the same type of star as potentially Sengun or Jalen but you can argue he is the most crucial player here because his defensive and offensive skill set is NOT found cheaply in the FA market...he really is a swiss army knife. Sengun in a lot of ways is the exact opposite as Jabari - has FAR more ceiling, far more skill, and is far more effective of a player IF you put the right guys around him but is less flexible to who he can share the floor with and I would argue, Sengun is far less playable defensively if Jabari is not here which is one of the reasons why I'm hesitant to build around Sengun if he is expected to tender a max offer - he is both less flexible defensively AND doesn't have offensive range. The reality is - you can't really have a true basketball discussion here about the future of Houston Rockets basketball without considering the very real constraints the new CBA will put on teams now that the cap is punitive to the point of being almost a hard cap because you lose draft pipeline as a repeat offender and are transactionally constrained at that point. You can't spend your way out of the limitations of your max guys so Sengun is going to have to become more flexible as a player if he wants to make himself worth as a max guy - otherwise, the physics of the CBA apply and you have to consider if you sign Senun to a max deal, how realistically you will have to build around him(surround him with defensively versatile guys with range - AKA, the most expensive and rare players on the market) and whether you can actually afford that roster before you hit the luxury tax apron. ...now if Sengun somehow got less than a max offer, it's a no brainer to me, you keep that guy. If he walks in a makes another leap defensively and is more versatile on the perimeter, it's a no brainer - you keep that guy. If he walks in with greatly improved range and is starting to become a 3 level scorer rather than a 1.5 level scorer, then it's a different conversation again. As for Jalen, he is 100% the type of player you want to surround Sengun with(really anyone with) - the only question with him is whether the real Jalen is the last 10-15 games Jalen or the first 10-15 games Jalen. I'm not really sure and I don't know how Houston acquires THAT guy if they don't sign Green which is why I think Stone has to err on the side of caution and not give away Jalen for nothing because the alternative is we are still likely looking for that guy with even less opportunity to find him if we determine Jalen Green isn't the dude.
If Jalen can be 75% of what he is now all next season I would be willing to trade Sengun. I would rather keep Green, Amen, Cam, and Jabari together and go get a rim running, rebounding, and can hit the 3 type big Sengun is great but I think as Green and Amen improve as ball handlers Sengun will not be needed as much
Jalen and the team go on one great month-long stretch after multiple years of terrible play and guys are ready to unload one of the best young big men in the league who is universally considered the better asset outside of this website. Shameful and hilarious stuff
It is bizarre, we might keep Jalen, we might trade him, we might keep Alpi we might trade him. crazy. DD
How is it that the best asset on the team wasn't producing wins for the team? You do know that he has been part of the terrible team for 3 years, right?
Sengun has a reliable midrange shot around the paint. Amen is a guard/forward and he has to be the one between the two who needs to develop both midrange and long-range shots more.
I think Alpi's midrange needs improvement. When it's good enough for defenses to crowd him at 15/16-ft, both he and the Rockets offense will go to another level. Alpi does NOT need to become a good 3-point shooter to be a star.
