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Rank the core 6 in order of keeper priority

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Aruba77, Apr 6, 2024.

  1. Easy

    Easy Boban Only Fan
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    Ceiling (what is the best they can become):
    1. Thompson, Sengun, Green (tied, they all have a chance to be a top 5 player in different ways)
    4. Whitmore
    5. Smith
    6. Eason

    Floor (what they already is doing):
    1. Sengun
    2. Thompson, Smith
    4. Eason
    5. Whitmore
    6. Green

    So, the most "sure thing" is Sengun. He is already a star level player and still has quite a lot of room to improve.

    Next are Thompson and Smith. They are already very good role player and likely will get better. How much better is hard to say.

    Eason lack elite talent (other than offensive rebounding) but he has a lot of intangibles that is invaluable for the team. My only worry is his long term health.

    Whitmore can be an elite scorer or a microwave off the bench kind of guy. I don't see him as the hub of an offense or an elite defender.

    Green has one of the highest ceilings and lowest floors. If we give up on him, we may regret, like OKC would regret giving up Harden. If we keep him, we may regret not getting more when his value is still high because of his flashes of greatness.
     
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  2. pmac

    pmac Contributing Member

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    Just keep them all.

    The only time where you start getting into a cap crunch is if multiple of them prove to be elite players in which case we would be an elite team and then it's more of a "good problem".

    We don't have multiple elite players now.

    The only player that you even have to make decisions on any time soon is Jalen.

    Sengun had an all star level season and will get a max contract next season no matter what. So, you just wait til next offseason and give it to him after making other moves or match it when another team offers it. It's no risk, it will be tradeable later.

    Jalen is a little tougher. I would offer a KPJ style conditional contract but he will probably turn it down. So, you go into next season and see what improvement you get from him. Jalen would probably be a top pick in this draft so I think that's his value in trades. Are you getting top pick value back? Probably not, just see what you have. If he still needs to get much better, he probably won't get a big contract. So, maybe you just re-sign him to a smaller deal and develop him as a role player.

    I do think we should be star hunting but the kind you want usually come from the draft not trade.

    You can spend a bunch of time considering who you would trade when a star player becomes available. But, you'll find that the guys that become available are usually not a fit for a young developing team like this. They're either too old, not truly elite, or unwilling to come here and stay.
     
    Joe Rocket, AlperenSengun and Easy like this.
  3. No Worries

    No Worries Contributing Member

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    By true shooting percentage:

    58.5 - Alpi
    57.4 - Jabari
    56.3 - Amen
    56.2 - Cam
    54.3 - Jalen
    52.8 - Tari
     
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  4. DaDakota

    DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

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    1. Cam
    2. Jabari
    3. Alpi
    4. Amen
    5. Jalen
    6. Tari

    Those are my 6 in order, and that is just today, players move up and down all the time I don't envy being Stone.

    DD
     
    Rinaldi likes this.
  5. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Contributing Member

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    Jalen
    Cam
    Amen
    Bari
    Tari
    Ricky Council #4
     
  6. Bobbythegreat

    Bobbythegreat Member
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    Trade them all for DMo
     
  7. Dankstronaut

    Dankstronaut Way, way out here.
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    The only guy who's shown himself capable of being a 3 level, 30ppg scorer is last?

    [​IMG]

    Y'all working overtime now.
     
  8. Bobbythegreat

    Bobbythegreat Member
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    No one on the Rockets is averaging anything close to 30 PPG (Sengun leads the team at just over 21 PPG) and I hope you aren't calling a 33% 3 point shooter a 3 level scorer...especially when they have a lower TS% than Dillon Brooks.

    You should never base your opinion of a player on an isolated 11 games out of 3 seasons.
     
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  9. pippendagimp

    pippendagimp Member

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    sengun
    jalen
    bari
    tari
    amen
    cam
     
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  10. Dankstronaut

    Dankstronaut Way, way out here.
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    Working overtime confirmed. Buddy if you got paid per Jalen hate post you wouldn't even need to work period.

    Stop telling grown folks how to opine. I can do whatever I want.
     
    jcmoon likes this.
  11. Bobbythegreat

    Bobbythegreat Member
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    I like that you didn't even attempt to refute anything I said, instead, you just threw an emotional tantrum about the facts not supporting your delusions.

    By all means though, stick to your delusions if you want, but you'll just have to understand that people will poke holes in that kind of ridiculousness.
     
  12. Dankstronaut

    Dankstronaut Way, way out here.
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    Emotional lol

    You didn't even read what I said just over there seething about it anyway, and you think I have to respond to it. Wild.

    Accusations are confessions.

    [​IMG]
     
  13. Bobbythegreat

    Bobbythegreat Member
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    You didn't address anything I said kid....that was my point.

    You said something objectively false, I proved that what you said was objectively false with the actual numbers, then you got upset and threw your tampon at the wall.

    Yet again reality does not align with the BS you are trying to sell.
     
  14. napalm06

    napalm06 Huge Flopping Fan

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    1. Anyone can be traded if the return improves the Rockets chances of winning a championship
     
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  15. Aruba77

    Aruba77 Contributing Member

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    Just flagging that I’m not advocating a trade. Keeping all 6 heading into next season seems prudent at this point, absent an offer we can’t refuse. Was just curious in what order folks valued our core 6. Unsurprisingly there is a wide range of views.

    I had Amen #1 because he’s one of the most unique basketball players I’ve ever seen, elite defensively, will be able to get to the rim at will, elite rebounder, and his accelerated basketball learning ability is freakish. He’s a mid-range shot away from being our star.

    I had Sengun #2 because he’s improved every year, is closest to being an allstar, dynamic skill-set, and I buy him developing a long-range shot, unlocking that next level.

    I had Cam #3 because he is top 10 all time rookie in points per game per 36 minutes…with guys like Jordan, Wilt, Wemby, Embid, etc…. I also buy the shooting, 2-way ability and the mentality. He’s one of the league’s youngest players, this is only the beginning.

    I had Tari and Bari tied at #4 because Tari impacts winning on an insane level. Admittedly I’m higher on him than most, but i see a Kwahi type ceiling and a high floor. But he basically lost a yr to injury and the health questions could linger. Bari took a big step in year 2 going from 30% to 36% 3pt shooting. He’s not gonna be a guy who can create but he’s guaranteed to be an excellent 3&D guy with size.

    I had Jalen last, not because I’m a “hater” but because I still don’t trust the shooting, and he’s been our most inconsistent prospect. I certainly put less weight on the 1st half of the season than the 2nd half because he needed time to learn from Ime. And there’s no doubt that he’s taken a step in every part of his game except for shooting. But I just trust the other 5 prospects more to maximize their potential. I still think Jalen has star upside and I wouldn’t trade him for anything less than a player in that star conversation, but I’d need to see a full year of good shooting before I moved him up my rankings. It’s more about how highly I think of our other prospects rather than how low I am on Jalen. If Jalen shoots well next season while continuing to do the other things at a high level, he could go to #1 on my list.
     
    #35 Aruba77, Apr 6, 2024
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2024
  16. mario_v

    mario_v Member

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    1. Amen
    2. Sengun
    3. Cam
    4. Tari
    5. Green
    6. Jabari

    Amen has the most potential. He doesn’t even have to be a good shooter. If he could just go from worst to below average shooter, it would make a huge difference.

    Sengun is an all star caliber player and currently our best player.

    Cam is super explosive and dynamic. I’ve been more impressed by him as a rookie than Jalen Green.

    Udoka says Tari reminds him of a young Kawhi Leonard.

    Green is talented and athletic but too inconsistent and I think cam is better.

    I was never really a fan of Jabari. I thought we would see summer league Jabari this season, but no. He seems like just a real solid role player.
     
  17. MorningZippo

    MorningZippo Member

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    The guy averaging 20 ppg with the lowest TS% on the team besides Tate is a 3 level, 30 ppg scorer? Lol..

    I guess if basic thinking is a challenge for you, it probably does look like the rest of the world works overtime.
     
  18. jogo

    jogo Member

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    I wrote down my list and then saw this. They match exactly. Hm

    Alpi-he's our best player, almost all-star
    Jabari-will develop into a great three point shooter and defender, at times he has been a great defender and his 3 is pretty good now
    Amen-shows he is starter level, his lack of shooting scares me, I don't think he can be a PG anytime soon
    Cam-he has a great 3 pointer, he can create his own shot, he's so young it's hard to know what he'll be
    Jalen-without a three point shot he's regular Jalen and that's not good enough for me, his 3% has gotten worse each year, trade for value
    Tari-I really like him but the injuries are too big of a concern, when healthy is he even a starter?
     
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  19. lpbman

    lpbman Member

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    I have the same rank order, but Amen can carry an offense? lol wut
    His shot is broken, and he doesn't have great touch around the basket. Dunno what you're seeing.

    Also when I have Tari as last on the list, it sounds worse than it is, extremely high on him. I would swap out Jabari but for size and the fact that he's been reliably healthy so far.
     
  20. clos4life

    clos4life Member

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    Sengun, then everyone else has to prove they can play second fiddle for me to know where they stand. Currently, Amen/Cam are about the same for me, but if Amen learns to shoot he will be clear #2. Tari has been injured all season long so I can't go on just rookie data, Bari has improved but is not looking like a superstar, and Jalen is perplexing, hoping he gets it together but he is our biggest risk, need to see his 4th year to see where I would rank him but he can be anywhere between 2 or 6 or just not part of our team at all.
     

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