Alperen Sengun Star Play In Houston Rockets Overtime Win Vs Jazz + Why It’s Time For Cam Whitmore

Alperen Sengun Star Play In Houston Rockets Overtime Win Vs Jazz + Why It’s Time For Cam Whitmore

On today’s show busy weekend for the Houston Rockets a pair of games against the Utah Jazz and the Boston Celtics Alper shingun Jabar Jr leading the Houston Rockets to the overtime win against the Utah Jazz and they follow it up with a spirited competition against the Boston Celtics but what ultimately

Felt like a schedule loss in that game we’re going to break down Alper and shun’s dominance tying his career high the insane defense on display from Jabari Smith Jr and Rook am men Thompson in the win against the Utah Jazz as well as some of the defense

In the game against the Boston Celtics plus why it is time for cam Whitmore we’re going to break it down for you coming up right here at lock on Rockets this is Mission Control Houston ignition sequence start throw it up to jayen Green shenon here in the short row

Oh my that’s the no look Javari for three and the win look at t e Here Comes t T 15 seconds guidance is internal the Houston Rocket select amen Thompson and cam Whitmore one thing I have never done is not made the playoffs and so we want to

Take that step here as well 6 5 4 3 2 1 what’s up and welcome to another edition of locked on Rockets your daily podcast home for everything Houston Rockets basketball as always I’m your host Jackson Gatlin native houstonian a credentialed media member I’m also the

Host of lockon NBA Mondays be sure to follow along on Twitter at JT Gatlin and the show of course at lockon Rocket free and available wherever you listen to your podcast including YouTube now today’s episode is brought to you by LinkedIn LinkedIn jobs helps you find the qualified candidates that you want

To talk to faster post your job for free at linkedin.com lockon NBA that’s linkedin.com lockon NBA to post your job for free terms and conditions apply and as always thank you so much for making lock on Rockets part of your day every single day thank you for being in every day or

Whether it’s on your way to work on your lunch break in the gym thank you for making the show part of your day every single day busy weekend for the Houston Rockets pair of games back toback Saturday and Sunday night Utah Jazz then Boston Celtics they survive and take the

Overtime dub spearheaded and led by alprin shenon and Jabari Smith Junior on Saturday night 127 1226 against the surging Utah Jazz very impressive win if I do say so myself and then they follow that up with a a spirited game against the Boston Celtics down a couple starters no Fred Van vet

No Jabari Smith Jr Jabari herdings ankle late in that game against the Utah Jazz no timetable on his recovery progress however no boot no crutches which is always a very good sign for ankle injuries so no Fred no Jabari in that game still no tar een and then no Jeff

Green against the Celtics so down four key rotation pieces against the Celtics it’s hard to tell if the Rockets actually played a good game or if it was more just the Celtics kind of toying with their food a little bit in that one so I want to spend most of this episode

Focused on the Utah Jazz game however I may ping pong back and forth may share some thoughts from that Celtics game uh a lot to navigate in today’s episode we’ll talk about Alper and shenon his uh arguably one of the best games of his career against a very good Utah Jazz

Team Jabari Smith Jr and Amin Thompson with some absolutely otherworldly defense over these past couple of games and why it’s time to talk about cam Whitmore and and and why the rockets need to make the pivot to cam Whitmore sooner rather than later so let’s start with this overtime

Frame shall we because the Rockets were this was this was one of those games against the jazzz that was just fun it was like a a a fun back and forth basketball game the Rockets went up by as many as 17 in this game but the the

Reason the Jazz are so good this year is they have a roster that is arguably you know 10 to 12 players deep with very high quality NBA players to where they they are essentially running out like two different kind of starting lineups their bench unit is good enough to be a

Starting lineup in today’s NBA and that’s what you helps them survive so many games where yeah they go out there and their starters are kind of maybe even or maybe even losing a little bit to other team starters but then they Sub in their bench unit and then suddenly

Their bench is playing out of their mind or or vice versa as you’re staggered throughout the game and you’ve got bench versus starters starters versus bench whatever point being the Jazz are a really deep team and that’s why they were able to survive and kind of withstand that 17-point early deficit

And come back and even take the lead at one point late in this game thankfully the Rockets were able to survive and tie things up Alper and shingun with a pair of very clutch free throws to force overtime in this one uh and then the Rockets managed to uh Dodge

What would have been a heart-wrenching three-point attempt from Colin ston at the end of regulation to get into the overtime period in which Jabari Smith Jr and Alper and shenon absolutely dominated they they they were the only Rockets to score in the overtime period here uh Alper and

Shingun had I believe it was eight points of the Rockets 15 in overtime I want to double check and make sure I have those numbers correct here um but yeah Alper and shenon with I apologize Alber with seven of the Rockets 12 points in overtime and then Jabar Smith

Jr with five of the Rockets 12 points the only two rockets to score in the overtime period and some of the sequences that we saw there in overtime were so impressive first off alperin shenon was just dominant throughout the entirety of this game on his way to

Tying his career-high 37 points uh on 15 of 26 shooting from the floor he’s doing this against low marinan and Walker Kessler these are legit seven-footers that he is absolutely feasting against and Walker Kessler is no defensive slouch Walker Kessler is an insane defensive presence and that’s why we saw

In this game will Hardy Utah Jazz head coach will hardy make the change at halftime electing to start Walker Kessler because they needed an answer for Alper and shingon and they still didn’t get one alpie it didn’t matter who was up against him in this game alpie was cooking whoever was guarding

Him the only thing that can guard Alper and shenon at this point is the free throw line he was six of 10 at the free throw line missing some very important free throws late in this game in fact he had the two key free throws that he missed that he missed

Uh at the tail end of overtime which was uh my God like he the the roller coaster at the end of overtime to see Alper and shinon miss those free throws Jordan clarkland dribbling the ball up has a very clear opportunity to to to win this game in overtime and misses you know

Comes up just a little bit short on the the mid-range pullup kind of in the painted area that my heart was pounding out of my chest when that was happening but there were a lot of moments uh in this overtime period that were that were really important jabarus SM Jr he got

Hurt but was able to stay in the game and you know shoot his free throws he missed one of them made the other one uh Alper and shenon at one point had the uh the recovered loose ball off of the the jump ball that happened on the Rockets

Or well the the Jazz defensive side of the court and Alper anding was able to recover the loose ball secure it and then he had this really filthy spin move I believe it was on fonio uh going down Baseline and landed the dunk to uh pull

The game I believe within one basket at that point late in overtime he also had a huge Block on Walker Kesler uh while the Utah Jazz LED 120 to 119 so I mean shenon was everywhere in this overtime period Jabari Smith Jr had some impressive moments and amen

Thompson had the what was the game saving block on what was the Rockets essentially final defensive possession of the game not not the final defensive possession where Clarkson missed the the the jumper but the one right before that where Jazz are running their half court set Rockets are getting ready to switch everything

And Colin ston managed to drive the ball in dip a shoulder into Aaron holiday bump him off and he had a very clean look right there at the rim and a men Thompson weakside Rim deterrent help comes in and just absolutely denies uh Colin seon right there at the

Rim a really impressive defensive sequence great defensive instincts from amen Thompson and to do for the Rockets to do all of this and to have to secure this win against a very good Utah Jazz team to do all of this without Fred Van

Vet on the court was a big that was a a i I honestly thought once Fred Van vet he fouled out of this game with about two minutes left in regulation when that happened I thought the Rockets were going to lose the game honestly without having Fred the leite

Out there without having his steadying hand on the court to calm things down especially on the offensive end as well as you know what he provides from a defensive standpoint on the floor I thought the Rockets were going to choke this game away and it kind of felt like

They were going to for a stretch there in overtime when Clarkson hit that three to pull ahead I think it was four or five points in overtime for the Jazz I really thought okay this is it this is the Jazz they’re getting ready to run away with this but credit to the Rockets

They stayed calm cool collected Jabari and Al and shenon handled the heavy lifting offensively in the overtime period Jaylen green who was basically benched at the end of that game Oka opting to go with Cam Whitmore instead of Jaylen green to close that one out Jaylen was sub back in in place

Of Fred vanet when he fouled out and Jaylen did a good enough job taking care of the basketball walking it up getting the Rockets into their offensive sets for the final seven minutes of that game the two minutes in regulation and the five minutes of overtime it was a really

Really impressive much needed win for this Rockets Group after a very very rough road trip where they went just one and five on the road they needed that win against the Utah Jazz and it’s one that you can feel really good about because of how they got the win they

Locked in defensively they were able to survive the overtime period their first overtime win of the season they were 0 and three going into that overtime period now they picked they finally picked up their first overtime dub and they did it without having Fred vet on

The court I think you can feel really good about that win the fact that you were able to manage to still come together and win that game despite so many odds stacked against you uh that win feels really really good for this team coming up I want to share other thoughts

From this game some extended kind of notes about the defense being played from Jabari Smith Jr and Amin Thompson as well as other thoughts from this one the Celtics game as well and then getting into a very uh we we got we got to take the gloves off in segment three

And we’re going to talk about cam Whitmore and his role on this team and what it should be moving for we’re going to get there in just one moment first today’s episode is brought to you by LinkedIn at the start of the new year every small business owner is

Asking themselves the same question what’s the one move that you can make that’ll take your business to the next level in 2024 LinkedIn jobs knows that your success all depends on the team you surround yourself with that’s why LinkedIn jobs has created the tools to help you find the right Professionals

For your team faster and for free LinkedIn isn’t just another job board LinkedIn has a vast network of more than a billion professionals which makes it the best place to hire hiring is easy when you have that many quality candidates to choose from so easy in

Fact that 86% of small businesses get a qualified candidate within 24 hours it’s why small businesses rate LinkedIn jobs number one in delivering quality hires versus leading competitors LinkedIn also knows that small businesses are wearing so many different hats and might not have the time or resources to hire

Thankfully with LinkedIn the process is intuitive quick and so easy post your job for free at linkedin.com lockon NBA that’s linkedin.com loock onba to post your job for free terms and conditions apply and continuing on here at locked on Rockets your daily podcast home for everything Houston Rockets basketball now for this

Rockets 127 126 overtime win against the Jazz it really kind of felt like a game where stylistically first off one of the reasons the Rockets went up so much in that uh in that first half against the Utah Jazz because they their three ball was falling at a ridiculous level in that first

Half pardon me uh in the first half of that game the Rockets were eight of 19 from downtown and the Jazz were just five of 21 so one of the reasons the game kind of came back uh in the second half and why the Jazz were able to get

Back into the game the way that they were in the second half is because the the Rockets three-point shooting regressed quite a bit they came back to came kind of crashing back to down to reality they shot just one of 10 from three-point land in that third quarter

The the three-point shooting well kind of drying up for the Rockets there in that third frame uh and they were able to again just hold on uh long enough throughout regulation and then again key free throws key makes down the stretch um some key buckets from Alper and

Shenon that’s how they were able to hold on but they also kind of matched what the Utah Jazz do incredibly well which is uh rebounding the basketball so the Rockets or sorry I apologize the Utah Jazz are the NBA’s best offensive rebounding team and the rockets actually

Outrebounded the Utah Jazz in this game the Rockets I apologize they outre rebounded them on the offensive glass so the US Jazz had 16 offensive rebounds in this one the Rockets had 23 offensive rebounds Alper and Shon with eight of them jabarus Smith Jr with four amen

Thompson with four of them uh jant Tate with three offensive rebounds the Rockets were so active on the offensive glass generating so many Second Chance opportunities they shot 117 field goals in this game 117 the Utah Jazz shot 105 so even though the Rockets shot worse from the

Floor 42.7% shooting to just to 45.7% for the Utah Jazz I apologize and they also shot significantly worse at the free throw line just under 64% from the free throw line they gave themselves so many extra possessions by rebounding the basketball that they were able to

Stay in this game as as far as Second Chance points go the Rockets were plus six in the second chance points department they finished uh with 25 Second Chance points in this game to Utah’s 19 Second Chance points so they kind of beat Utah at their own game

Utah’s really good they’ve got a ton of size Lowry Markin in Walker Kessler coming off the bench um they’ve got uh Kelly oen Rockets former Rockets Legend and they have a ton of rebounding on their team and even their guards are actually decent rebounders for their size um Colin Z had three offensive

Rebounds Chris Dunn had a couple offensive rebounds Jordan Clarkson had a couple offensive rebounds in this game they’re just a team that really prioritizes attacking the glass and generating those second and third opportunities there were so many of those over the course of this game where

You could see that the the size of the Utah Jazz was really getting to the Rockets unfortunately and thankfully it didn’t result in a Rockets L but I really thought that their physicality they really matched uh the Utah Jazz pretty well and matched up with them I thought

As best as they could uh given some of the Personnel limitations that the Rockets ultimately have but where I where I was so impressed in this game was really the defense from the Rockets over the course of the entirety of the game the Rockets played some really

Phenomenal defense and I want to give a lot of credit to uh jabarus M junr amen Thompson off the Rockets bench again we talked about his his clutch game saving block there in segment one and also Dylan Brooks uh that Trio was so effective defensively against the Utah

Jazz holding their best players to some really subpar shooting performances so the Jazz’s best player Lowry Markin and their Allstar uh just 22 points on eight of 18 shooting so a really off you know subpar shooting night for low Markin in from the floor and then there two other

Significant offensive weapons Colin seon in the starting lineup and then Jordan Clarkson Off the Bench seon had 28 points but he took 27 shots to get there he was just 11 of 27 shooting overall and then Off the Bench Jordan Clarkson their big gun kind of coming off the

Bench 33 points absolutely a big night from Jordan Clarkson but he took 25 shots to get there just 12 of 25 shooting so I think collectively if you’re the Houston Rockets you have to be really impressed and proud of the defensive effort on those guys so many different switches Jabari at one point

Or another in this game was guarding all three of those guys um he was the primary on uh lry marinan for certain stretches of the game Dylan Brooks took his turns on Lowry marinan as well uh I overall I really liked the Rockets physicality on those guys it really felt

Like they did a great job forcing them into some really tough looks um I I really didn’t think the Jazz got anything easy in this game and there’s a reason that the Rockets were able to hold the Jazz to just a hair over 30% 3point shooting just 13 of 43 on the evening

30.2% three-point shooting for the Jaz has in this game it was not a pretty game on either side of the basketball like the the you know some of the offensive woses uh you know there were some ugly shooting on both sides the backcourts for both teams kind of

Struggling uh Jaylen green had a really rough shooting night just three of 12 shooting 0 of six from downtown Fred Van VY eight of 19 shooting only two of 10 from behind the three-point Arc Dylan Brooks three of 10 overall shooting it was a really ugly shooting game for a

Lot of players in this one and and it was kind of one of those these are kind of the games that the Rockets have become accustomed to winning this season right these ugly muck it up slow it down whatever kind of games and that’s the style that this Rockets team has has

Become accustomed to playing and they like playing that way they like when these games become these slow it down slog it out kind of ugly Affairs because that’s where the Rockets actually have an advantage right when they’re able to walk the ball up and get into their halfcourt offensive sets we know that

They want to play faster and that they want to be able to get get out and transition occasionally and run and Gun that way but they’re also a team that’s a lot more effective in the half court offensively than they are in transition and a big part of that’s because their

Best player alperen shenon is a half court player he’s a guy that thrives when he’s able to get set up in the half court and really go to work and attack a defense um and then on the offense on sorry on the opposite side of the ball

Defensively this is a Rockets team that is a lot better when they’re able to force halfcourt offensive possessions from the opposing team when they’re able to slow things down and force a team to attack them in the half court the Rockets defense is almost impenetrable they that’s when their defense is at its

Best when it’s set now they’ve done a really good job limiting transition opportunities this year they are a much improved transition defense but there’s still moments over the course of a game where if a team does get out and run against this rocket team enough they’re

Able to get some cross matches get some you know attack a defense that’s not really set and it’s harder for the Rockets to kind of adhere to their defensive principles when they’re not matched up properly in the half court when you’ve got size like guys like again low Markin and Walker Kessler who

Can take advantage of certain mismatches if you don’t get matched up properly getting back in transition all these little things so I really thought that this game ultimately favored the Rockets the style of play the way that these two teams were playing um the Jazz kind of played directly into the Rockets hands

And how they would like to play these games moving forward so uh I the and one of the other areas for the Houston Rockets that was so impressive in this game cam Whitmore Off the Bench um 17 points on six of 13 shooting he was four of six from

Downtown he had five boards he had an assist he had a couple blocks in this game cam Whitmore was Sensational off the Houston Rockets bench and coming up we’re going to talk about why it’s time for the Houston Rockets to dedicate more reps to cam Whitmore and who those reps

Have to come away from in order to be able to do that we’re going to have a hard conversation here in just a moment we’re going to get there but first today’s episode is brought to you by better help look around New Year’s we get completely obsessed with how to

Change ourselves instead of just expanding on what we’re already doing right in our everyday lives therapy helps you find your strengths so you can ditch the extreme New Year’s resolutions and make changes that really stick I’ve done therapy in my life and I found it a really beneficial process for myself so

If you’re thinking of starting therapy give better help a try it’s entirely online designed to be convenient flexible and suited to your schedule just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapist at any time for no additional charge celebrate the progress that you’ve already made visit

Betterhelp.com loock on NBA today to get 10% off your first month that’s betterhelp hp.com locked on NBA today’s episode is also brought to you by FanDuel the NFL postseason is underway but there’s still time to get in on the action with FanDuel America’s number one sports book because right now new customers get

$150 in bonus bets guaranteed guaranteed when you place just a $5 bet that’s 150 bucks in bonus bets win or lose and all you have to do is wager $5 it’s that simple the app is so easy to use and there’s so many different ways to bet

Like live same game parlays find bets in the new explore tab make a parlay in the parlay Hub the best way to find popular parlays and so much more go throw some money down on who you think could win the Super Bowl this year visit fanduel.com lockon to get started and

Get in on the NFL postseason action again that’s fanduel.com locked-on FanDuel official partner of the NFL and final segment here at locked on Rockets your daily podcast home for everything Houston Rockets basketball before I get into our incredibly hard conversation here in segment three uh I wanted to spend just

Another moment on Amen Thompson and his defense because even though the Rockets lost the game against the Boston Celtics 116 107 I know we’ve been focusing mostly on the win in overtime against the Utah Jazz am men’s defense was Sensational in both games he got his first career start against the Boston

Celtics in the absence of Fred Van vet and in that start he posted 15 points career high 14 rebounds career high five assists one steal only two turnovers five of 10 shooting and five of six from the free throw line it was an incredible performance from am Min Thompson what

You’re seeing from him is an ability to manipulate and impact the game despite the fact that he still doesn’t have an outside shot and that’s the main thing for him is is not being content to just sit at the three-point line and let a team ignore you and be a non-factor

Offensively and that happens far too often with guys who can’t shoot the basketball and what we’re seeing from A Min though is he is being active on the offensive glass um he had a b he had you know a handful of offensive rebounds against the Jazz he had three offensive

Rebounds against the Celtics he is incredibly active on the glass he’s you know scrapping after loose balls all that kind of stuff and he’s still able to find a way to be effective in the pick and roll with Alper and shinon there were moments in that Celtics game

Where aen would drive and get downhill and collapse the defense and just pitch it back to Al shinon who was right there just inside the free throw line able to do his little you know little shot put that he’s got in his bag which is basically an automatic bucket at this

Point in alp’s career it feels like um and even Al and shingu was able to find Amin Thompson under the basket you know you know Amin would drive pitch it to Alp defense would suddenly then you know adjust and two Defenders would collapse on Alp and then Alp had that insane

Behind the back pass to time like there’s there’s a a creativity and a and a connection between those two already because they’re both such high level passers they process the game at such a high level that they’re reading the game at the same speed as one another to

Where amen makes these snap quick second decisions about how to pass the basketball the same way that Alper and shenon does so as those two guys get more reps with each other on the floor ultimately one of them is going to have to develop a shot long long term because

You have to be complimentary your two pieces can’t be you know like oil and oil and water where they just don’t mix together um and I do think having two non-shooters on the floor is is a recipe for disaster down the line but at least we’re seeing some moments we’re seeing

Some promising moments between those two guys and that’s some really encouraging stuff so a lot of impressive play from Amin Thompson his defense has been on another level um did a really great job the Rockets you know with with Amin Thompson and Dylan Brooks did a solid

Job against Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum in this game against the Celtics Tatum just four of 17 shooting Jaylen Brown six of 14 shooting uh it was all the other guys that they did a really terrible job of containing porzingis had 32 points on 11 of 21 shooting uh Derek

White had 21 points on nine of 19 shooting uh and then just a a a variety of different guys off the bench pton Pritchard hit three threes for nine points Off the Bench uh they gave up some buckets to ‘sha prette uh Luke cornette had some buckets like it was

Just the Rockets did a really bad job you know against guys not named Tatum and brown in that Celtics loss so all right here we are because we’re at a point where we are exactly we’re actually a little over halfway through this season and I think that by all metrics

By eye test Advanced stats whatever you want to look at uh Jaylen green has underperformed this season that’s that’s not an opinion that’s not a take that’s just facts um he his numbers are currently worse than they were in his rookie year percentage wise um in fact I I I’ll actually get

The numbers up because I feel like that’s that’s a a fair point to share in this conversation uh currently Jaylen green is shooting under 40% from the floor he is shooting 32% from the three-point line uh his true shooting percentage is just under I believe 52% now uh his

Scoring totals are down across the board his numbers are down he doesn’t look like he’s comfortable out there right now and it’s tough It’s a tough position to be in um he is effectively the third option you know offensively behind Alper and shenon and Fred van vet on a nightly basis and the

Rockets have tried seemingly every which way to get jayen green going this season offensively um they’ve tried subbing him out early and letting him run the second unit and that didn’t look good they then after that experiment they tried uh involving him more as a primary ball handler amongst

The starters and getting him more reps with Alper and shingon to to the point where we saw you know games where the Rockets would start and it was very clear and very apparent in the first quarter they would run like the first like three four five plays of the game

Specifically for Jaylen green to try to get him going or if he couldn’t get it going early in the game then they would replicate and do that same exact thing later in the game in the third quarter they’d come back from halftime and they would spend the first you know three

Four five possessions in the third quarter trying to get Jaylen green going because he’s very much a rhythm player Jaylen is a guy who throughout his career um with the ignite first two years with the Rockets he always had the ball in his hands right he had plenty of opportunities to

Kind of you know get himself out of a funk or get himself going and the stakes were pretty low for the first two years of his career right the Rockets weren’t playing meaningful basketball games they were intentionally losing they were bottoming out they were tanking and so

You were afforded the runway to just let Jaylen kind of go out there and and shoot and some games he was able to you know start off a little Rocky and then and then find himself over the course of a game and it kind of worked but the

Inconsistencies were still there on a game by- game basis and the in the inconsistencies have gotten even worse this season to where you know he had a stretch there where he was shooting the ball slightly better from three-point land he had like a a little eight to 10

Game stretch there but it was that was kind of a blip right like it’s it’s at a point where Jaylen has shown Improvement he’s improved as a Defender he has improved as a playmaker um it’s not that he hasn’t grown in other areas of the game but he has actively regressed in

The number one area where he needs to be a consistent Force which is his scoring that’s what he was drafted to do he was drafted to be a scorer and right now he’s not doing that he’s not knocking down a wide open shots that he’s getting he is struggling to get himself going

Offensively and he is actively holding back the rocket starters from this team being the best version of itself that’s that’s kind of where we’re at he if you cannot look at the Rockets starting five lineup and objectively say that Jaylen green has been the weakest link amongst

The five starters this season then I don’t know what to tell you because that’s just the facts that’s that’s what it’s been this year now I say all this to say that I am not whatsoever out on the idea of Jaylen green as a basketball player not

Whatsoever I again I have I gave like a month ago whatever it was like an impassioned speech here on the show about how badly I wanted Jaylen green to succeed how badly I wanted him to be a good player because he’s like the the first piece of the puzzle in the Rockets

Rebuild right they they immediately move on from the James Harden era best two guard of the 2010s they draft Jaylen green we have high hopes that he’s going to be the best two guard of the 2020s and we’re two and a half years into his career and it just isn’t look like

Looking like it’s materializing now does that mean Jaylen green is is a bust does does that mean he is never going to work out does that mean he’s going to you know not have a good absolutely not but something I think has to change and maybe you’re in favor of

Giving Jaylen the rest of the the year to figure it out sure and we can agree to disagree there but I think that we are exactly halfway through the season at this point we’ve seen more or less of the same from Jaylen green and the rockets have tried again I I already

Illustrated all the different ways they’ve tried to get jayen green more involved get him going break him out of whatever mental Funk that he’s in this year and none of it’s working so and you even most recent example you have a Celtics game in which you know I think

One of the one of the kind of weirder running Arguments for why Jaylen green is struggling this year is he needs the ball in his hands because having Fred Van Ved out there and you know he’s taking the ball away from Jaylen green and Fred Van is is holding jayen green

Back which I think is an absurd argument but let’s go with that as an AR argument for a second right no Fred Van vet in the game against the Celtics Jaylen green was poised to be the primary ball handler to do basically whatever he wanted that game and he had he had some

Strong drives he had some good you he had some good plays it wasn’t a horrible game from Jaylen green but he had 16 points he was seven of 18 shooting only one of six from downtown like it was you know he had a chance to have a a big

Jayen green game to be like yeah you know no Fred I’m going to take over I’m going to do this didn’t get much from him right there’s just moments where at times you kind of forget that he’s even on the floor um and so I think at this point the rockets need a

Change and I think it would be best served for Jaylen and for the Rockets to bring him off the bench that’s kind of where I’m at is is I’d like to see Jaylen green come off the Houston Rockets bench I’d like to see him approach the game with a different

Mentality uh because right now his skill set is better suited to be a six-man it just is he’s a microwave scorer he can get incredibly hot when he’s got it going and when he’s got it going he can single-handedly win you some games but he’s not consistent enough to be I think

A focal point of a team because if he doesn’t have it going then being forced to go back to him consistently right being forced to end the half with him or start the third quarter with him or a game with him because he feels like he’s oh he’s

One of your starters you got to keep going back to him even when he’s having a bad game we’ve seen e he doesn’t do that right he’ll go with whoever’s got the hot hand he’ll go with whoever deserves the playing time and I think that objectively there have been a lot

Of games this season where eeme has still stuck with Jaylen even when he’s been struggling because it’s a very delicate balance to not completely destroy Jaylen Green’s confidence and you want to hopefully try and find a way to get him out of whatever rut that he’s

In but it just hasn’t worked in the variety of ways the Rockets have done it so I teed this segment up as talking about why cam Whitmore deserves minutes and unfortunately these are a lot of the reasons why he deserves minutes because right now cam Whitmore is I believe the

Better Prospect the better shooting guard the better player on this Rockets roster um he’s the better shooter he is Flatout just a better score at this point it feels like it he’s better shooting off C off the catch he’s better attacking off Closeouts he’s better finishing around the rim uh he’s just a

More complimentary seamless fit with the other players on this roster you throw cam Whitmore into that starting lineup and that starting lineup suddenly has a lot of juice because then you’ve got a knockdown three-point shooter in cam Whitmore to keep the spacing alive to accentuate what Alper and shingon and

Fred Van vet do as the onew punch for this team uh he’s a more physical player he gives you more size uh he helps with the switchability on defense and arguably one-on-one defense he might be a better player there already too because he stonewalls guys on drives now that’s not

To say cam Whitmer is not without his drawbacks he’s 19 he’s a rookie he’s going to make a ton of rookie mistakes offensively defensively he’s going to tunnel vision at times offensively he’s going to make the wrong reads defensively he’s going to have to learn

And adjust and and grow and get you know more accustomed to the scheme all this right he’s got he’s two and a half years behind the learning process from Jaylen green but I think right now objectively he is the better bet he’s the safer bet between the two and he’s got Skyhigh

Potential potentially even maybe greater potential than Jaylen green did coming in as a rookie and you’re seeing that he has produced in limited minutes he’s playing winning basketball as a rookie and that’s the tough decision that the Rockets are faced with with is you’ve got arguably a better player

Right now a younger player a better player a better prospect that you could go to right now but once the toothpaste is out of the tube you can’t put it back in So once that decision is made if that decision gets made if em odoko were to

Put cam Whitmore in the starting lineup over Jaylen green which I think there’s a very very strong argument here that that is the right decision to be made then that’s all she wrote Because one Whatever confidence Jaylen green has left as a player you would potentially

Be shattering it if you were to move him to the bench in favor of starting his rookie counterpart in cam Whitmore that would be something you can’t really take back that’s a hard conversation to have and then two you’re also signaling to the other 29 teams in the association

That jayen green is no longer a starter for your organization now that’s okay if you still think that the long-term play is you can unlock block something with Jaylen green as your Sixth Man and if you want to hold on to him long term you want to hold on to him through this

Season through next year and you really want to slow play it and see if he can tap into something as a productive Sixth Man then sure by all means make that move but the moment you make that move I think you completely tank any and all potential trade value that Jaylen green

Has because you’re signaling to the other 29 teams that he’s potentially damag goods and that there’s something not working there but a change of scenery could do him a lot of good sometimes that’s all you need sometimes you just need to shake things up and this Rockets team needs a shake up right

Now they do because they were not they they did not mince words about their their goals their aspirations for the season yes this year is about development but eoka said it himself he has not miss the playoffs ever in his career he doesn’t plan to miss the

Playoffs and this team for this team to maximize to be the best version of itself Jaylen green is actively holding them back they are a better team when Jaylen green is off the basketball floor when Jaylen green is off the court they are a 6 and 1 Half Point better team

6.52 net rating when he’s off the floor they’re a minus 3.13 when he’s on the court they are a it’s almost a 10-point swing they’re a better team when he is not on the basketball floor now that’s not to say that he can’t tap into something and maybe it’s there as a

Six-man right they just did the Utah Jazz just did it with Jordan Clarkson he was starting for them he was struggling it didn’t work they they flipped it they put T in the starting lineup and they moved Clarkson to the bench and suddenly the Utah Jazz went on a tear it worked

Out great for them sometimes all you need as a player is a change of scenery and that’s not to say that it can’t be that it has to be a permanent change maybe they do it for 10 games or so and maybe it it ignites something in jayen

And he Taps into something and he he he locks in and he starts playing some of the best basketball of his career and then they move him back to the starting lineup who knows but this Rockets team needs a change and it’s unfortunate that they’ve got that they’ve dealt with so

Many injuries and they were missing Dylan Brooks and they’re still missing tar een because tar would also be the immediate answer like tar has played good enough to be one of the he’s one of the best five players on this team and that would be a seamless switch just

Throw tar into the starting lineup move Dylan Brooks down to the two guard spot and call it a day and then you don’t have to worry about hurting anybody’s feelings with Cam Whitmore in the starting lineup instead of Jaylen green and all that but but that’s the argument

Right here is the Rockets have a better Prospect I think in J in in in cam Whitmore than Jaylen green he’s a better shooting guard Prospect he’s shown more in limited minutes and at what point do you say enough is enough and you stop giving the extended reps the extended

Run to Jaylen green and potentially minimize his role change his role put him in a different spot to succeed I already highlighted all the different ways the Rockets have tried to enable him Empower him to be good this season and and none of it has worked so far so

This is The Logical Next Step unless you’re willing to just be in a holding pattern for the rest of the season and just let him keep doing the same thing game by game and and leave him in the starting lineup it’s a tough decision but I think

It’s one that has a lot of there’s there’s a very strong argument behind it right now so how do you feel about it would you would you want to see cam Whitmore take over the starting shooting guard spot would you want to see Jaylen green move to the bench maybe not in

Favor of Cam whitmor but maybe once tar een is healthy would you want to see that as the rocket starting lineup it feels like this team needs a change so what change would you like to see from Oka and Company how would you feel about

All of this that I just laid out in front of you that’s this this is the hard conversation we were going to have so let me know your thoughts in the YouTube comments if you haven’t done so yet consider subscribing to the show wherever you listen to your podcast or

On YouTube search locked on Rockets like comment subscribe all that good stuff give me your thoughts because this is a really this is like the storyline this season is what’s been going on with Jaylen green and whatever resolution the Rockets come to here whether it’s staying the course whether it’s benching

Him whether it’s trading him it’s going to be a storyline until there’s a resolution until something concrete is done so give me your thoughts let me know how you feel about the situation in the YouTube comments but as always thank you so much for watching thank you so

Much for listening and we look forward to having you back right here at lockdown Rockets your daily podcast home for everything Houston Rockets basketball

Alperen Sengun Star Play In Houston Rockets Overtime Win Vs Jazz + Why It’s Time For Cam Whitmore

Host Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) discusses and reacts to the Houston Rockets pair of weekend games, the 127-126 overtime win against the Utah Jazz and the 116-107 loss the following night to the Boston Celtics. How the Rockets were able to overcome the Jazz in OT, Alperen Sengun’s dominance tying his career-high (37 points), Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson insane defense, closing out Utah WITHOUT Fred VanVleet (fouled out), Cam Whitmore’s emergence, and hard truths the Rockets have to face about what to do with Jalen Green moving forward.

#Rockets #JalenGreen #CamWhitmore

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LORockets?sid=YouTube

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

📺 Subscribe On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnRockets & https://www.youtube.com/@JTGatlinMedia

📲 Twitter: https://twitter.com/JTGatlin & https://twitter.com/LockedOnRockets

🎧 Follow/Subscribe/Listen:

Locked On Rockets Anywhere: https://linktr.ee/LockedOnRockets

Locked On NBA Anywhere: https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

Follow & Join RocketsWatch: https://twitter.com/RocketsWatch & https://bit.ly/3wXJXcb

Shop Rockets Merch & Use Code LOROCKETS10: https://shop.clutchfans.net/

Follow on Twitch for video game fun: https://www.twitch.tv/diedofbeetus

If your business wants to advertise on Locked On Rockets, DM Jackson on Twitter or email JacksonTGatlin@gmail.com

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! | Offers: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/offers/

eBay Motors – For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.

BetterHelp – This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.

PrizePicks – Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!

Gametime – Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase.

FanDuel – Make Every Moment More. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet to get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Free Bets – win or lose! Visit Fanduel.com/LockedOn today to get started.
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#HoustonRockets #Rockets #NBA #JalenGreen #AlperenSengun #JabariSmithJr #TariEason #AmenThompson #CamWhitmore #FredVanVleet #DillonBrooks #JeffGreen #JockLandale #ReggieBullock #BobanMarjanovic #AaronHoliday