Are you saying the Rockets can win with Sengun and Thompson? 2 nonshooters in an era of 3 pt and mid range shooting? Spams 2 pt shots? Todays game is based on the mid range shot. Did you not just see Murray torch us on DHO pullups? SGA is the king of midrange. Wemby. The mid range and post game dominates the league today if you haven’t noticed. I can’t say it any louder Sengun is the problem and has always been. A decision on Amen needs to be made as well. These 2 have stifled this offense. Add Reed in the equation who looks great for a few games then turns into a g leaguer again for several weeks or months.
We would be better without KD, I am convinced. The team would be more cohesive, everyone touching the ball, Alpi would be the facilitator and we would have more growth. KD has r****ded the growth of this team. DD
So if we offered up KD to Indiana and Milwaukee (both are in win now mode), what would it take to get there top 10 2026 pick? Taking on a bad contract? Offer up one of our 2027 picks? Both? There are several guards in this draft I would love to pair with Reed and shift Amen back to 3, 4 spot where he should be. I hate not having a pick in this draft (especially seeing Nets pick would have been top 10).
Sengun is the target of a lot of double teams and the guy who generates a lot of Amen's easy half court looks - I don't think he looks better without him .... I do think the inverse is true - taking Amen away reduces the number of double teams Sengun see's. I also don't think changing who the center is or where he spends the majority of his offensive time really changes how teams defend Amen - if he's off the ball he's going to be ignored. If he's running a pick and roll, both defenders drop with the roll guy just like they do now. Teams aren't going to change how they approach him until / unless he can hit shots a much better rate from literally anywhere. So, you try to hide him in the paint and clog lanes for anyone else trying to drive or run a pick and roll. He has to be the roll guy to get any attention and that's a pretty bland offense if that's all you can do with him on the court. Amen shooting anything outside of 3 feet is a winning possession for the defense. They are inviting him to take those shots by leaving him open and focusing their defenses elsewhere. He may win 5 or maybe even 10 possessions per game but he makes playing offense harder for everyone else on the court on all the other possessions playing 5 on 4. You do the math .... the average game being ~100 possessions. That's the entire issue - how teams defend Amen.
He should have gone to the other team he mentioned last off-season... Miami. KD + Holiday for Wiggins, Jacquez and Rozier as a throw-in works both ways. You get back two (still) young defending glue-type guys and a filler (in an orange jumpsuit). They get a reliable 2-point elbow jumper. (don't want to convince myself otherwise in mid-thought but DeRozan might be the cheaper alternative) I imagine Spo and Pat catching him with a burner acct and threatening to make his phone a reverse-deuce (IYKYK) if they ever see it in his hands anywhere near the arena or practice court. Swag and stats mean bupkus in Heat Culture. (83 the easy way notwithstanding)
