I'm back! And before, I used to say that I catch Rockets games when I'm not working, but... now my work IS catching Rockets games!!!! So I'm really excited to write about our guys, and talk about the way things are going. Not ideal coming off the back to back losses against the Clips and Lakers, but I'm not sweating it. A lot of good stuff to be excited about for sure- as long as you can accept some of the major crazy changes that have happened in the team's dynamics over the last year-ish. That's what this post will be about. I got some takes on who this team is and what are goal is.
Alperen Sengun isn't just a star- he's THE Star
This one has been creeping up for a bit now, but over these first 9 or 10 games, I think this has been made clear. Sengun is not only our best player, but he's an All-Star level player. And as far as our young guys go, he's clearly hitting that level of All-Star play earlier than any of our other young guys. He's averaging 20ppg, 8rpg, 5ast and a full steal. That's his floor. That's this team's floor. Sengun is in the NBA elites when it comes to advanced stats and BPM. He was +21 against the Lakers tonight, and we LOST. And he played 30 minutes. That is OUTRAGEOUS. Our team's success on the court is so clearly tied with him and the floor he provides for us. He's gonna be an All-Star this year (I hope!) and will certainly be one in the coming years.
Jalen Green is still our hope, but there are some facts we need to address
Now slow down. I think if you're a big Jalen Green fan (I am too!), and you read that last paragraph, it might definitely seem like I'm saying we need to jump ship and completely abandon Green in favor of Sengun. But nonononononon. That could not be more wrong. We have an AMAZING thing going in Jalen-Sengun, and they clearly have chemistry. But Jalen is struggling to find consistency with basically every aspect of his game, and I don't see a reality where he becomes an All-Star, or assumes the role and level of play he needs to, BEFORE Sengun does those things. I believe, in my heart, I KNOW, they will BOTH be All-Stars. That's why our team can be summed up in one phrase: Sengun is the floor, Jalen is the ceiling. It's up to how much Jalen can tap into that absolutely killer level of play we know he's capable of. The flashes are SCARY good. But we need to keep him accountable, and recognize that the team and game is gonna flow steadier through Sengun until Jalen is at that all-star level. We don't have to choose guys- we CAN have both of these guys eating. Sengun is just eating first.
Amen Thompson's return might shake the boat a little bit
Nothing particularly controversial here, but I think it's kinda worth mentioning. Once Amen comes back from his ankle injury, I do think we'll probably start playing a bit worse overall. Just how it goes with rookies and younger guys. In general, he's a rookie, but also his jumpshot is gonna need some work on a team that already has a reeeeallly weird spacing thing going on. Also, if you know anything about my writing, you know I LOVE Amen Thompson. He's my profile picture for a reason. But I wouldn't say I'm not scared of him missing out on something thanks to that ankle injury... I don't know. He's so freakishly athletic, freakishly talented... I'm just terrified he might go out there and kinda look bogged down by something. But no negative energy here, no pessimism here. Let's get Amen back and start hooping.
Are we worried about Jabari?
This is a question that is definitely worth asking at this point. But I mean... you have to consider the circumstances he was drafted under. He was the consensus number one overall pick until the Magic surprised everyone on draft night. And again, if you know me or my writing... you know I had a lot of concerns about Jabari. He has not fully eased my concerns. And like with Jalen, it's about the consistency, and right now it's really tough for him. He can still be great, and he's nowhere near the player he'll be at his ceiling, but this still isn't the schedule we wanted him to be on. And with guys like Tari Eason and Cam Whitmore, CAM WHITMORE... we will need to have conversations. Now relax, he's not on the trading block or anything, but our team's success is starting to grow more independent from his contributions- our team's success isn't overly dependent on his. That can be good or bad. It's up to him what role he slides into in the next year. I wanna see him play elite defense and shoot at least 37%. Those are the things that will keep me buying in on him.
Veterans leading the way
I had to be sold on both signings of FVV and Dillon Brooks. But man oh man am I glad that I bought in. Though to be honest, I didn't really care about Fred's deal because teams are forced to spend that money, and his contract is super team friendly, But I WAS worried about Brooks' contract, and let me tell you I do not care at all about that 4 years. He's a clear positive for the team. I love what the older guys have brought.
WE ARE AIMING FOR THE PLAY-IN! :)
I don't think I need to elaborate on this one much. We clearly are capable of competing with some of the best teams in the league. Our goal is definitely, DEFINITELY a play-in seed. Don't even need to overhype or overinflated our goals. Just get the 9th or 10th seed, make some noise in the play-in tournament, get scrappy with the best, show the league what we can do. Remember we're not even at the window yet. We're still ramping up. Let's start grabbing some wins and growing as a team!
It's a good time being from Houston right now. Htown make some noise, man. The Rockets are here. The Texans are here. Let's go! Thanks for reading, feel free to share your thoughts. Nicely and with kindness. Or else.