So interesting you mention Reed and Adams - if you lower the minutes to 400, Sheppard and Adams’s rating is by far the best on the team, an incredible 18.4. Conversely, Sheppard and Sengun has one of the worst 2 two man ratings at 4.6. Amen and Sheppard’s rating, on the other hand, is a very solid 11.7, also one of the best on the team. Another concern to flag about Sengun. To be clear, I’m not necessarily adovacting the team should make drastic moves to build around Amen. However, if I’m picking between Amen and Sengun to build around, I’m picking Amen every time.
I think what you do is you try to develop Sengun into a medium-volume 3P shooter right now. Make it the top priority. It would help both his game and Amen's, as well as their fit together. You give him at most a season and a half, maybe even just up until this year's trade deadline depending on what the offers are. If he pulls it off, you keep them both. If he doesn't, you get a lot more aggressive on trying to trade Sengun.
Why? Were you convinced Green was the cornerstone? KD was never intended to be the cornerstone, just a stopgap. If we agree that Green was not the cornerstone, what was the value in keeping him around. You need a Batman, not 6 robins. The Rockets have plenty of robins so giving up one to get an assis for hire to fill a gap seems like a sound plan cause you still have 5 more robins.
Funny you say that, in my view it's the complete opposite. It's way easier to build around a guy like Alpi. He's not good on defense, but he's also not bad when paired with capable wing defenders. He's no Kanter. Amen, on the other hand, requires a strech 5 who can also play at least passable defense, and it's extremely hard to find these guys and their value super high. He's a super role player who's VERY tough to build a team around. But again... I wouldn't build around anyone on this roster, we're ****ed, the best course of action would be to start from scratch, which I doubt Stone has the balls to do.
I don’t agree that you have to pair Amen with a stretch 5. Several of our best lineups by NetRtg this year generally included Amen paired with either Adams or Capela. I mean, pairing Amen with a stretch 5 with solid rim protection would be ideal, but are plenty of examples of good teams starting two non-shooters IF one of the non-shooters is a traditional rim-running rim protector. However, running the offense through a non-shooting center like Sengun is super awkward unless there is a ton of shooting around him.
The thing with Amen is you need a less-capable defensive center than most teams because he's a great perimeter defender who can also do some "big man" things at his best. I would just say "starting caliber stretch 5", it doesn't even have to be a good defensive center, just one who avoids being so bad that you can't cover for him. Sengun, if he had a 3P shot, would be more than good enough on defense. Their fit together would actually be fine if just one of them could shoot. The fit issue arises entirely because they both can't. By the way, I'd also argue Sengun's archetype needs a 3P shot to be a championship-caliber player. (I can't imagine Jokic being Jokic without one.) The easiest path for us is still just for Sengun to be a three point shooter... he's closer than Amen is. I don't know if that gets us to championship contender level but it does address the roster construction issues.
For me it’s clearly Sengun between the two. I can tell he understands basketball as a team sport despite him being overburdened. I think Amen is still more athlete than IQ player. I’ve posted about it before but Sengun is essentially top 5 in the entire league with unassisted scoring percentage. He can score and can setup players. I do wonder what a team that would built around Sengun would achieve. We would still need to that Mitchell/Brown level of player to pair.
Therein lies the rub, at least for this hypothetical. If you're "building" around Sengun, I don't think Amen is a great complement. The best way to maximize a Senhub style offense is with spacing. Conversely, I do think Sengun could be great piece on a team "built around" Amen. For lack of a better comparison (and I'm NOT comparing 1-to-1), Amen and Sengun need to be less Kobe/Shaq and more Kobe/Gasol. Next to Amen, I think Sengun could thrive as a secondary creator/scorer who focuses more on defense and 3 point shooting. Sengun's 3 ball is pretty close to respectability - he's already shooting .3 on 2 3pa. Get to .35 on 3-4 3pa a game and you're golden.
Amen doesn’t really shoot period…. That’s real issue. If he was weaving through traffic and pulling from the elbow for a middie that would be different.
I've been thinking for awhile that what I'd like to see from Sengun is three things: One, focus less on scoring for himself and more on creating for others. Two, put more energy into defense and less into forcing up tough shots from around 5-15ft. Three, stop hesitating on three pointers, when wide open, just take the damn shot (unless somebody else who's a better shooter is also wide open). I don't care if he shoots 30% at this point, Draymond Green has had many seasons where he shot around that percentage and it still helps GSW's spacing that he takes them. Lower scoring volume, better floor-spacing, higher scoring efficiency, higher assists, better defense. This is his path to being a non-superstar championship-caliber starting center in 2026 IMO. My hope on him becoming a #1 option has kind of faded but I still think he can be like what you said, a Pau Gasol level of player, if he locks in his strengths and minimizes his weaknesses. I think it's unlikely at this point he will be a #1 option, but I also think that's true of Sengun given his scoring efficiency issues. Amen's best skill is his defense, his second-best is his rim pressure, but he's also a plus playmaker from his position if play him as a power forward. Unfortunately both of them are more likely to be "Robin" than "Batman". I can see a bit more of a path for Amen to being a #1 in an uptempo offensive scheme, because a 3P shot would make him very hard to defend at the perimeter, but it's narrow for both of them.
I am talking about in the context of this post, where you have to pick one. Amen may end up better than Sengun, but I still think Sengun has the potential of franchise player ability.
100% Alpi but think Amen is a great asset and will be a valuable part of our big three. There is no way you can build an offense around a player who can't shoot but he is a superb complementary piece when you have a passer like Alpi. If the offense is designed correctly we do not Amen to be a super shooter. Let him play the dunker spot. We need a Princeton offensive coach. Too bad Adelman passed away and was too old anyway. He would have been amazing with this roster minus the cancer aka Dickerson.
It’s the stop them from scoring and then quickly go down the court and dunk it part. It actually works. We are only talking about basketball like it’s a 100% half court offense execution game because the team we watch starts 3 slow ass 7 footer’s.
Why are neither pieces you build around? Is that the question? If so its because neither are superstars. You build around superstars. And What does KD or Jalen have to do with what I said? Who said anything about cornerstones? Are you responding to the thoughts in your own head? What does batman and Robin have to do with this lol Youre all over the place.
This post is proof that way too much is expected from Sengun lol And I think its due to bias. When you dont really like someone they have to prove more. Expecting your center to develop a 3 point shot but your shooting guard not to is ridiculous. Think about it Sengun already out scores, rebounds, assists and its tied with steals with Amen. The onus is on him to get even better more than it is the top 3 pick without a shot. Its ridiculous lol Thats clear bias. Im not a Sengun only fan but when Im on Clutchfans I feel like I have to overcompensate my defense of him because the expectations on him are so ridiculous. Sengun by the actual numbers is a way better Denfender than Joker so he doesnt actually fit Jokers archetype.
I'm not sure I really see Amen as a guard anymore. I think I see him as more of a forward, honestly. Something like a poor man's Blake Griffin on offense, but who also compensates for not being quite as good as a scorer by being an elite defensive player and better passer. In general I wouldn't get too caught up in the emotional component of "oh that's not fair to expect so much from one guy but not the other". It's just that Sengun is closer to being a 3P shooter than Amen. Both of them would benefit greatly from adding a 3P shot. I don't think either of them has any chance of becoming a #1 option without one, and I don't think either of them fit together on offense if at least one of them doesn't add one.
I agree about the Power Forward part not about something being not fair somehow being emotional. I never used the words not fair, I said ridiculous. But since you said it I dont agree that recognizing the truth of something being unfair automatically being chalked up as emotional. Its basketball I made a list of things Sengun currently does better than Amen. Players cant do EVERYTHING. No one does not even Wemby. SO to expect Sengun to be the one to take the leap at three over a guy we're playing at shooting guard is ridiculous IMO. He can do it but to expect it in order to compete for a chip is ridiculous.
Sengun's archetype already has only one championship as the best player on a championship team that I can think of in the 3P era, and that guy is a good 3P shooter. The "rim pressuring, plus-defensive wing or forward" is actually much, much more successful over the course of NBA history. I think it's totally fair to expect Sengun to be a 3P shooter. It's not like he's ever going to be an elite rim protector like most championship centers.
