This is not a realistic expectation. The fact is that it's easier to find wings who can defend & shoot than it is to find centers who can defend & shoot. In casting Amen as a cornerstone, you're designing a car that runs on unobtainium while everyone else uses gas. We do need an eraser though. If Sengun was used as a PF like Julius Randle he'd look a lot better, especially if you're not forcing him to play PG as well. The problem is that you've already got KD, Bari, Tari, and Amen who are all basically PFs.
You're underestimating how hard it is to find a top 10 defensive player in the league / top 5 perimeter defender who is also a true two-way player scoring an efficient nearly-20 points per game. Amen may or may not end up being the one guy you "build around", but I personally believe that between his positional versatility, elite defense, rim pressure, and above-average playmaking and ballhandling for a forward/wing, he would be a starter on all 30 teams. It may even be that his best spot is at the 4, I can certainly see the argument for that--but the roster construction difficulties he presents do not nullify the high-level value he brings.
This not true because you see how they hindered KD this season with bad game planning and shooting and forcing him to lean into his weaknesses . I don’t care if they had prime Jordan, if the other team can game plan to triple team or zone that generational player then they will suffer.
This actually makes sense. Kidd wants more power, fire Ime & Stone and let Kidd handpick his GM counterpart. I think Kidd definitely helps Reed, probably even Amen with PG skills and can create an actual offensive system that maximizes the players
Amen is not "a true two-way player" and he only scores efficiently because the vast majority of his shots are straight line drives, lobs, and put-backs. Let's be clear about this - Amen and Ausar Thompson are extremely low-gravity players who do nothing to elevate their teammates. Right now people in Detroit are having the exact same conversation that we are: How can our young All-Star center look so terrible in the playoffs? It's because the paint is being walled off while Amen and Ausar stand in the corner completely undefended. Again, you can use these guys to hustle and muscle your way through the regular season, but when the lights are bright any mildly competent opposing coach will be able to exploit the Thompson twins. They are fool's gold.
Our young core is not that good compared to the Spurs and Thunder. We removed KD and we can't beat a 41 year old LeBron and Austin Reeves. We just need to stockpile assets and hope a player like Maxey or ANT asks for a trade.
If this was actually true he wouldn't be able to score on the volume he does or average the number of assists that he does. Players like you describe don't score 18+ points per game with 5+ assists , they score 10, maybe 15. We've actually seen that before recently with KJ Martin. You're cherrypicking the instances where it is true (and yes, it does comprise around half of Amen's points) and ignoring the rest of the times where he does create offense for himself or others.
Figure out how to flip Durant and picks for Murphy instead. KD to Bucks for #10, Kuzma, Portis, fillers - Jackson, Prince, Harris. (Bucks Keep Giannis this season) Send Kuzma, Portis, #10, best of the Rockets 2027 1sts, Rockets UNP 2030 1st for Murphy, Maktovic Take Bruce Thornton #39 S&T Eason to Nets for Minott and 2nds Re-sign Okogie, extend Amen, Maktovic and Minott Either sign a backup SG with the MLE (Grimes, Kennard, Huerter, Ellis, Melton) o see if the Nets will include Mann in the Tari S&T. Sign a min to round out the roster. Hire a proven offensive coordinator, tell Ime he’s free to quit and forfeit his contract if he doesn’t like it. FVV / Sheppard / Thornton Murphy / (FA or Mann) / Okogie Thompson / Minott / (Vet Min) Smith / Maktovic / DFS Sengun / Adams / Capela
LOL. Yeah, if you gave KJ Martin 37 minutes a game and tried to make him a PG, he would average less than 18 points and 5 assists per game, though I bet he'd get close. But if your argument is that we should pay Amen $30M a year because he's better than KJ Martin, then I am less than convinced.
No. Get Sengun's azz outta here and build around Jabari & Amen. We also need to look into getting faster & more physical. All is not lost
I'm saying that the kind of archetype you described exists, we've seen it many times in the NBA, and guys like that don't create as much offense as Amen does, on either a per-minute or per-possession basis. I can agree with Amen as he is right now not being an elite offensive player--he has to get better--but he is a good offensive player, not just a raw athlete who runs at the rim and has no other skills. And combining that with elite perimeter defense and rebounding equates to a great deal of overall value on the court.
The goal is not just to create offense. 100-200 guys in the league can create offense. The goal is to create good offense. There are only a small number of humans on earth who can create efficient, gameplan-robust NBA team offense with the ball in their hands on the perimeter in the halfcourt. Amen is not one of them. (Although tbf to Amen, he is better at it than Ausar, who can create absolutely nothing at all). Amen’s “good offensive player” status comes strictly from his off ball work, transition, and offensive rebounding. None of it is attributable to his attempts at halfcourt creation - those struggle to get to neutral.
I don't think it's cherry picking the stats - I think they are very telling overall and match the eye test. 61.4% of his shots at the rim are assisted with an Efg% of .758. That's the vast majority of his overall shot diet. You go to 3-10 foot and the numbers change dramatically. 43.5% assisted with an Efg of .470 and it only gets worse from there. 10-16 feet is .318 assisted and .344 Efg. He's averaging ~3ish offensive rebounds a game, many of those unassisted baskets around the rim are accounted for by these rebounds resulting in shots. At 3 shots a game off those rebounds, that's 2.27 makes or 4.55 points a game off of those rebound putbacks. Those rebound shots account for about a quarter of his scoring. You can account for about 85% of his scoring totals thru assisted buckets, rebound / putbacks and transition baskets. When he's off the ball and outside the arc, be that wing or corner, he's not directly defended. The defender gives Amen space, inviting that shot knowing he's probably not taking it , he's just guarding space between Amen and the rim. Often one defender covering that entire side of the floor mainly when Jabari was the other guy on that side with Amen leaving the other 3 Rockets playing 3 on 4 with double teams routine against KD and Alpi. When he's on the ball, defenders tend to sag off of him - he'll be at the 3 point line and the defender is at the FT line. That's sure not helping whoever is in the paint. Once Amen drives, that's when the defenders actually decide to actively guard him. Amen is a very productive player, but the vast majority of that productivity is assisted shots at the rim as well as rebound / putbacks and transition. And those assisted shots are produced by someone else's gravity. I guess you have to decide if you can live with the spacing issues or not - we still need a f@$#ing stretch 5. I'd almost like to see them trade Alpi and bring in a stretch 5 just so we can put this argument to bed one way or another. This is the last year we get to see Amen on the cheap, I'd rather find out now if there's a way to maximize him and win in the post season at the same time.
exactly... folks are all "we need a stretch 5 who plays great D..." lol... yeh, that aint a unicorn... lol Sengun needs to either get some muscle and tenacity as a rim protector... or get a shot and be a 4... this tweener stuff aint playin... and KD should be a 7' sg... u can always switch on d... but Katy should be a perimeter player with only the occasional drive at this point in his career... and Amen is a sf who should be feasting from the dunker spot...
I agree with everyone who wants to just restart. We tanked & did not get a franchise player. It sucks to see how it worked out for the Spurs & Mavs. Hell even Charlotte has a better outlook going forward than the Rockets. Its starts in the front office. Stone has to go, his vision for the team just doesn't make sense. Get some front office guys who have more experience than just being the owners son. Go poach some guys from winning situations Rudy T should have a permanent position with this organization. I'd keep Ime but make him get an offensive coach & upgrade the staff with former head coaches & not just all his buddies. Im all for complete roster reset. Keep Amen Everyone else is expendable.
KD is a SG on offense. But he's a PF on defense. He can't defend the perimeter. So you need a counterpart who can swap with him, PF on offense and SG on defense. Theoretically that's Amen. Unfortunately, with Amen as your 4 you need a stretch 5 to unclog the paint. And Sengun ain't it.
I haven't counted or looked up the stats ... How many starting caliber stretch 5's are there in the entire league that don't suck as defenders - excluding old dudes like Brook Lopez. We've been looking for that guy since Dwight Howard was a Rocket and still haven't found / acquired one.
