Houston Rockets - 11W in Last 12. They are legit.

[RollingWave]

Sengun plus Jalen isn’t the problem, especially since the base starter in the three other positions are at least above average shooters. Sengun is an exceptional screener, makes awesome decisions on the roll, and Green is a good pocket passer even while he was struggling earlier in the season

We’ve seen Sengun and Amen have great chemistry together as well

It’s Sengun plus Jalen plus Amen that’s the problem

But the Rockets have two to three more years to figure that part out, and I don’t think it’s even that much of problem in the regular season, and we’ll need some data points in the playoff to be sure

Don’t think people are prepared for how much The Amen/ Tari/Whitemore bench might rekt opposing teams next season

[sfernald]

I’m an Okc fan so that game was upsetting but honestly I’m happy for Rocket fans.

Rockets have worked hard to get to this day. Their drafts have been outstanding. I love Amen, Green, Eason, Whitmore & Sengun. They have one of the best young cores in the league and will be a force to reckon with for years.

Also they actually managed to nab one of the best coaches in the league.

I pick on the Rockets sometimes cause I really think they will one of the biggest challengers in the next few years. Got to have a good rivalry going.

And no matter their record this year they’re getting another good lottery pick.

I look forward to watching them climb the standings even more next year.

[Frankie]

So the Rockets finished 41-41, a 19 win improvement on the previous season, and frustratingly somehow still miss out on the play-in.

I'd consider this a massively successful season for us. We were projected to be a 31 win team, we beat that projection by 10 games.

OKC jumped from a 22 win team to 40 wins the last 2 years. I definitely don't think we will make the same kind of incredible jump to the top seed they made this season but it's fun to dream.

All the FA signings were good additions. People clowned the FVV and Brooks signings but they've ended up being very important pieces in changing the culture within the team. Fred has actually been the perfect vet.

I don't know what to expect next season. Naturally when you're a 40+ win rebuilding team, the next step would be to aim for 50 wins but there are teams below us also looking to make jumps. We know Grizzlies will be good again next season and I'm guessing Spurs and Wemby will make moves to improve their team so I expect them to be better too.

I think the aim has to be 50 wins and the playoffs regardless of what other teams are doing. Am I crazy for feeling this way?

[Pattycakes]

So the Rockets finished 41-41, a 19 win improvement on the previous season, and frustratingly somehow still miss out on the play-in.

I'd consider this a massively successful season for us. We were projected to be a 31 win team, we beat that projection by 10 games.

OKC jumped from a 22 win team to 40 wins the last 2 years. I definitely don't think we will make the same kind of incredible jump to the top seed they made this season but it's fun to dream.

All the FA signings were good additions. People clowned the FVV and Brooks signings but they've ended up being very important pieces in changing the culture within the team. Fred has actually been the perfect vet.

I don't know what to expect next season. Naturally when you're a 40+ win rebuilding team, the next step would be to aim for 50 wins but we know Grizzlies will be good again next season and I'm guessing Spurs and Wemby will make moves to improve their team so I expect them to be better too.

I think the aim has to be 50 wins and the playoffs regardless of what other teams are doing. Am I crazy for feeling this way?

I def love the shift in the Rockets.

Getting away from the culture of fake superstars Francis, Harden and even Tmac to a degree (for the record they’re obv all respectable for what they were there) and going for a young and complete core nucleus. That’s wtf I’m talkin bout. Hope sengun stays healthy and realizes he has a .5 inch peak vertical, and everyone gets to see the rockets true potl.

[Chuck Everett]

So the Rockets finished 41-41, a 19 win improvement on the previous season, and frustratingly somehow still miss out on the play-in.

I'd consider this a massively successful season for us. We were projected to be a 31 win team, we beat that projection by 10 games.

OKC jumped from a 22 win team to 40 wins the last 2 years. I definitely don't think we will make the same kind of incredible jump to the top seed they made this season but it's fun to dream.

All the FA signings were good additions. People clowned the FVV and Brooks signings but they've ended up being very important pieces in changing the culture within the team. Fred has actually been the perfect vet.

I don't know what to expect next season. Naturally when you're a 40+ win rebuilding team, the next step would be to aim for 50 wins but there are teams below us also looking to make jumps. We know Grizzlies will be good again next season and I'm guessing Spurs and Wemby will make moves to improve their team so I expect them to be better too.

I think the aim has to be 50 wins and the playoffs regardless of what other teams are doing. Am I crazy for feeling this way?

Not crazy, but expecting 50 wins might be setting yourself up for disappointment. Warriors won more games than a season ago and finished 10th in the conference standings. Houston can add 5 wins and be in the same place.

To me, when healthy Memphis is a top 5 team record wise in the West. Also, internal development is important, but for Houston, health will be even moreso. I will be keeping an eye on the offseason because I don't believe they have to do a ton except on the margins (like real backup PG for FVV).

The good thing about the Rockets is they are competitive and none of Sengun, Jalen, Jabari, Amen, Whitmore or Eason have reached their final form. That is exciting. If just two take that next step on top of vets like Fred, Brooks, Steven Adams and Uncle Jeff... man look out.

[RollingWave]

Yeah the west is wild enough that you could say the Rockets finish with 50 wins and miss the playoffs and it's like "ok I can see that"

But I don't think the BIGGEST questions have been answered in Houston this year, aka

1. is there anyone here that's like a potental top 10ish guy ? Sengun mayyybe but hasn't gotten there yet, Jalen looked like it for like 3 weeks but the other parts were so far off it's hard to really pin your hopes for sure.

2. do they actually play well off each other on offense? especially between Sengun and Green? it's actually a pretty mixed bag so far.

They have like 1-2 seasons to answer this question to some extent depending on how the extention / next contract goes with Sengun / Green, but by the time Amen needs a new deal they probably have to have some answers one way or another.

[Special_Puppy]

It wasn't a disappointing season for sure despite missing the play-in, but it fell short of an absolute grand slam home run season like if the Rockets won 46 games instead of 41

[Chuck Everett]

It wasn't a disappointing season for sure despite missing the play-in, but it fell short of an absolute grand slam home run season like if the Rockets won 46 games instead of 41

They won 19 games more than a year ago. They beat Vegas predictions by 10 games. Sengun actually was getting [deserved] all-star consideration. I expected them to be better and surprise people, but what Udoka was able to do with this crew was remarkable and not expected.

[Saints14]

Yeah the west is wild enough that you could say the Rockets finish with 50 wins and miss the playoffs and it's like "ok I can see that"

But I don't think the BIGGEST questions have been answered in Houston this year, aka

1. is there anyone here that's like a potental top 10ish guy ? Sengun mayyybe but hasn't gotten there yet, Jalen looked like it for like 3 weeks but the other parts were so far off it's hard to really pin your hopes for sure.

2. do they actually play well off each other on offense? especially between Sengun and Green? it's actually a pretty mixed bag so far.

They have like 1-2 seasons to answer this question to some extent depending on how the extention / next contract goes with Sengun / Green, but by the time Amen needs a new deal they probably have to have some answers one way or another.

They're gonna be the most interesting team for me over the next calendar year for this reason. It's strange that a team so young, that gave heavy minutes to players age 21 (Green), 21 (Sengun), 21 (Thompson), 20 (Smith), 19 (Whitmore) and 22 (Eason) overachieved to finish .500 and yet still has more questions than answers. On the one hand, with how young those players are, if a few of those guys can take leaps then look out. But you wouldn't necessarily expect any of them to - Green has been inconsistent his whole career and has never been a complete player, Smith is fairly limited offensively and doesn't really project to develop into a big on-ball player, Thompson is an abysmal outside shooter, Whitmore dropped to pick 20 for a reason and hasn't shown he can be a playmaker, Eason was always going to be a high level role player. Sengun is the best of the bunch but hasn't really improved as a shooter or rim protector, and there are questions about his fit with the rest of the roster - is he good enough to build a system around him? I do think a forward/big lineup of Thompson, Eason and Smith is intriguing from a defense and offensive fit standpoint (to go along with Green and FVV or PG of the future), but then they're marginalizing their current best player. Oh and they'll have a top 10 pick from Brooklyn and more Brooklyn picks coming up. Very interested to see where this team is in a few years!

[JasonStern]

https://theathletic.com/5415835/2024/04/15/boban-marjanovic-miss-free-throw-free-chicken/

The real MVP.

[ChipotleWest]

They played really well early in the season I remember they were hovering around a 5th seed, then they flamed out.

They won the 11 of 12 as mentioned in the title then they flamed out again.

They don't have a true superstar who leads the team and they need one.

The probably is as you get better you don't get a top 3 pick in the draft, and this is a weak draft anyway.

[RollingWave]

They're gonna be the most interesting team for me over the next calendar year for this reason. It's strange that a team so young, that gave heavy minutes to players age 21 (Green), 21 (Sengun), 21 (Thompson), 20 (Smith), 19 (Whitmore) and 22 (Eason) overachieved to finish .500 and yet still has more questions than answers. On the one hand, with how young those players are, if a few of those guys can take leaps then look out. But you wouldn't necessarily expect any of them to - Green has been inconsistent his whole career and has never been a complete player, Smith is fairly limited offensively and doesn't really project to develop into a big on-ball player, Thompson is an abysmal outside shooter, Whitmore dropped to pick 20 for a reason and hasn't shown he can be a playmaker, Eason was always going to be a high level role player. Sengun is the best of the bunch but hasn't really improved as a shooter or rim protector, and there are questions about his fit with the rest of the roster - is he good enough to build a system around him? I do think a forward/big lineup of Thompson, Eason and Smith is intriguing from a defense and offensive fit standpoint (to go along with Green and FVV or PG of the future), but then they're marginalizing their current best player. Oh and they'll have a top 10 pick from Brooklyn and more Brooklyn picks coming up. Very interested to see where this team is in a few years!

I would say that Jabari has shown more than a few flashes of being at least a bigger offensive player, if not exactly an on-ball guy, for most of the year he's probably the most reliable guy to actually get a decent shot off when nothing is working. certainly most guys watching the rockets all year felt better if the flaming bag is like a Jabari mid ranger than some Jalen prayer or Fred trying to finish over 3 guys a foot taller.

He had like 14 games over 20 points and 1 over 30, he gets lost in the shuffle certainly as his game just doesn't pop off the screen (among their 6 guys he is almost certainly last in terms of OMG WTF plays generated ) but he's like actually one of their actual steady and reliable guys (it's basically him / Fred / Sengun that almost never have truly bad games this year. well as long as we exclude last minute free throws in a tight game. ) AND he's actually the 2nd youngest (he's younger than Amen by a few months.) in the context of a 20 year old his performance was actually pretty amazing this year.

It does sometimes feel like Houston might want to focus a bit more on getting to some Jabari jumpers than they sometimes do.

Amen : he's such a weird player in that the strength is obvious and way too good to ignore regardless of the weakness, but the weakness is also so garling. I'm really not sure where this is heading, the shot feels a bit too broken that even just getting to a reliable standstill shooter might not truly happen. it might be more realistic to hope his handle tightens more where he's a real on ball going to the rim threat. The talent is super real, but it's hard to really know where this is going.

Cam: not sure I have a great read on him, but it's kinda hilarious how he's actively trying to hunt for some assists just to prove the doubters and it's the most deliberate things you'll ever see and sometimes they fail in spetacular fashion. The 3 point shooting form looks very tight and good, but then he's not hitting free throws well, and the going to the rim seems... inconsistent. I dunno looking at him right now he feels wayyyyyyyyyy too deliberate most of the time and not just GO and play instinctively. There's obviously a potential version of him where he's not overthinking and just a massive offensive threat, but it's not there yet, and given the age it's hard to be too harsh just yet. but I do feel like he needs to be in lineups where his role is clear and simple.

Jalen: well, so what do we even do with this now, there's a 3 week ish sample of a all NBA player and a 3+ month sample of a pretty bad player. certainly given his age and experience, you'd probably give the high more weight, but is it enough to like.. max him ? I really dunno, some of the core things I still think is the same, it's more that the the bad sample he was missing bunnies and the good sample everything went in. there are definitely improvements elsewhere, but even when he was going pretty strong the handle still often feel a bit iffy for a small guard.

Sometimes these consistentcy things just happen, sometimes they don't, I really don't know, though I suppose they have one more season to find out.

Tari : shame didn't see more, felt like the defense is just insane, the shot is good enough and he's at least finishing a bit more consistently this year, not much concern that he'll be a very good role player at least.

Sengun: the question now is that can they get him closer to that Jokic level? though part of it is the other guys need to actually hit open shots. But he also doesn't pass to shooters very well (not really in rythem / pocket as much as you'd like.) he actually pass to cutters way better oddly. But the pure on ball threat is just amazing. anytime teams aren't doubling hard it's going to be fireworks basically.

I think the more realistic and interesting way the Rockets could approach this is hope Amen improve his on ball handle a bit more, and play a lot more with Amen / Sengun Pick and roll, because both makes good decisions and can be on / off ball going to rim pretty well, if the other team is going to collapse everyone else to the rim I especially trust Amen to make a good and fast pass to the shooters and you'd imagine among things to improve it shouldn't be super hard for Sengun to get better there

[Chuck Everett]

I would say that Jabari has shown more than a few flashes of being at least a bigger offensive player, if not exactly an on-ball guy, for most of the year he's probably the most reliable guy to actually get a decent shot off when nothing is working. certainly most guys watching the rockets all year felt better if the flaming bag is like a Jabari mid ranger than some Jalen prayer or Fred trying to finish over 3 guys a foot taller.

He had like 14 games over 20 points and 1 over 30, he gets lost in the shuffle certainly as his game just doesn't pop off the screen (among their 6 guys he is almost certainly last in terms of OMG WTF plays generated ) but he's like actually one of their actual steady and reliable guys (it's basically him / Fred / Sengun that almost never have truly bad games this year. well as long as we exclude last minute free throws in a tight game. ) AND he's actually the 2nd youngest (he's younger than Amen by a few months.) in the context of a 20 year old his performance was actually pretty amazing this year.

It does sometimes feel like Houston might want to focus a bit more on getting to some Jabari jumpers than they sometimes do.

Amen : he's such a weird player in that the strength is obvious and way too good to ignore regardless of the weakness, but the weakness is also so garling. I'm really not sure where this is heading, the shot feels a bit too broken that even just getting to a reliable standstill shooter might not truly happen. it might be more realistic to hope his handle tightens more where he's a real on ball going to the rim threat. The talent is super real, but it's hard to really know where this is going.

I'll speak on these two. Jabari has two things he must do. He said both in the post game exit interview with the media. He needs to tighten up his ball handling. His arms are so long, that actually helps his shooting because it makes it harder to block his shot, however, his handles are erratic. Like we know he can dribble, but when he gets crowded, he can get loose with the ball. He needs to talk to FVV about that.

The second thing for Jabari is the weight room. Jaren Jackson, Jr is basically Jabari with 4-5 years and 35 lbs. That's his archetype (although I believe Smith is a better rebounder, while being a weaker shotblocker). When he fills out in 2-3 years, I think we could be looking at an elite two-way player. He has to get stronger though. I don't think a KD body will benefit him. He has the frame to add strength as well.

On Amen, the way he moves on the floor is effortless. He has value even if he can't become an elite shooter. The one thing I like about him and his brother, is how self-aware they are. I think there will be a lot of film sessions this summer and work to improve the 3. I mean, he really looks like new-age Pippen light to me. Even if he just gets comfortable making middy's due to his elite leaping ability, that's a start. He doesn't have to become a knockdown 3 point shooter because he's so good moving without the ball. Becoming a mid-range maestro like KD, Kawhi, Derozan or Rip Hamilton will have him averaging 15ppg next season.