There’s Something Different About The Houston Rockets..

There’s Something Different About The Houston Rockets..

I saw a post on Twitter this morning talking about do the Rockets need more shot creating and I think the short answer to that is no. The offense is going to run through Alprren Shenun and Kevin Durant last season. The Phoenix Suns and a lot of people don’t know this but the Suns were a top 10 offense in the half court. You guys know how impressive that is. The Suns were awful but Kevin Durant is that good. I get you can say Deon Booker but KD is catching the ball on the block. he’s shooting right over his defender or he’s finding the open man because of a double team. So now you’ve got two guys that require a double in Shangun and Durant. And then around them, of course, you’ve got Fred, you’ve got Jabari. Amen. Thompson is going to be the story of this upcoming season is how much of a leap can he take? Because we saw glimpses of potential being a superstar. Defensively, he’s already probably the best in the league. And then offensively, he’s starting to find a rhythm. So you don’t need shot creators next to these guys. You need good defenders. That’s the biggest thing. The Rockets last season were fifth in defensive efficiency. They can defend, but they were missing a guy who they can go to for a quick bucket, especially an efficient one. And that is exactly what Kevin Durant does. I mean, if Houston is a top 10 offense in the half court and let’s say they’re the best defensive team, they’re going to be very, very difficult to beat. And of course, you can’t discredit Dorian Finny Smith and Tari Een. More 3 and D wings coming off of the bench. I think the wild card of this upcoming season, and I’ve been talking about him a lot on the channel, is actually Reed Shepard. Overall in the summer league is efficiency wasn’t exactly the best. I get that. But the summer league isn’t about efficiency. It’s about getting good looks and realizing that eventually they’re going to drop. It’s Reed Shepard. shouldn’t be concerned about his ability to score and shoot the basketball. It’s just about how does he operate in the offense and that’s pretty much it. I mean, Shephard was aggressive looking for his shot. And that’s exactly what I wanted to see out of him. But off of the bench, he is going to be asked to do a lot more. And sometimes these young players, they just need to be told that that, hey, look, we’re going to give you a consistent role. Here’s what we expect out of you. Go and get it done. Jaylen Green, unfortunately, was never able to take that leap. I think Reed Shepard will and he’s got a great work ethic, too. And the potential is certainly there. And he’s so athletic. I mean, there’s not many guys that have that type of jumping ability and that can also shoot the basketball like him, too. So, I think him just being told he’s going to have a big role. And also, not going out there and getting another guard next to Fred certainly solidifies that. The Rockets are betting Enre Shepard and this is a championship or buzz season. Like, I mean, if the Rockets go to the finals and lose, I don’t think anybody would say that’s a disappointment besides like the team. But like as a fan that that would that be awesome. Like I I would love that. But in the Rockets eyes, they do want to win a championship because Kevin Durant is not getting any younger. And as well, they’ve got a lot of guys on very team friendly deals like Amen and Shangon. They’re on the max rookie contracts, I want to say, but again, they’re way better than that goes like given the value around the league. So the Rockets need to win. So the fact they are betting on Shepard says a lot about him and how they feel about him, too. they didn’t believe he was going to be a good player, then they wouldn’t be doing this. They would have went out there and got another guard behind Fred. So, I’m very excited about that. And then the dual big lineup is very interesting because you’ve got Steven Adams and you’ve got Clink Capella, which means the Rockets are going to have the flexibility to go big, to set screens, and to grab offensive rebounds, of course. Is it going to work is the question. I mean, last season, Shenun and Steven Adams was a very good lineup. We even saw it against the Warriors. That was probably when the Rockets were at their best. Like, Stephen Adams completely took over that series. And if Adams does get injured, which he often does is kind of the thing, well, you’ve got Clink Capella who can slide into that role. So, it was a genius move. It also prevented a team like the Lakers, for example, of getting Capella. They ended up getting DeAndre Eaton, but even if Capella went to another team in the West, it took away him from them. And he’s also been here. He’s played in Houston. He knows what it takes to win. Obviously, the Rockets were a half away from going to the NBA finals. They were up 11. I hate to think about that, but that’s the truth. And Capella did not play well in that series, but it’s a completely new team. And also, they’re not taking on the Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Traymond Greedland Warriors. That that certainly helps. The Thunder, a good team, they’re not the Warriors. That was a full-on dynasty. That was one of the best teams to ever play. So, there’s a lot going for the Rockets, but the biggest thing is defense. The Rockets are going to win through their defense. And when you add in Kevin Durant, you’re betting on the defense around him to be good enough. It certainly wasn’t in Phoenix, but in Houston, it is. Again, fifth in defensive efficiency. I think Kevin Durant honestly will help elevate this defense. And I love having Jabari at the four and Shangun at the five because you’ve got guys who can switch everything that can protect the basket. Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith can play the five if they really needed to. So, you have a lot of length and size out there. I believe there’s nine guys in the current roster that have a wingspan over 7 feet, which is just absurd. It’s preposterous. So, I’m looking at Fred and Amen. And the guards are going to be the thing here is what do you get out of them? Amen. Thompson, can he become an all-star season? I know he’s a younger player, but can he get to that level? And then I’m looking at Fred Van Vleet. His efficiency was very bad in the regular season. was amazing in the playoffs. Can he be a little bit more consistent? We know he’s out there of course for the culture and to sort of build an identity to form one and that’s what Fred brings to this team and down the stretch of games that seems to be when he’s at his best is he likes to be in that big moment and Reed Shepard to me is I I know I said he was sort of the wild card of this team. What do you get out of him as well? I mean can Reed Shepard take that leap just like a men and become a threat out there or guys are concerned about his ability? You see like his J clips. I don’t they’re not going to be on the screen, but you go and you look at Reed Shepard. Actually, I’ll put them on the screen. Screw it. But you look at him in that JLE game when he dropped 49. Look how aggressive he’s being for his shot. And I get it’s not the NBA necessarily. It’s not the highest level possible, but Reed has the capability of getting to his spots and getting good looks. He just has to make them. It’s very similar to Jaylen is he just he never took that leap and Reed’s going into year two and he’s going to be axed to do that as well. And if the Rockets didn’t feel comfortable with him, they would have moved him, I’d imagine, in a trade, but they end up giving up, of course, the 10th pick. They end up giving up Dylan Brooks and they end up giving up Jaylen Green. Reed Shepard was not in that. So now all of a sudden, he’s going to be the backup point. And then you don’t really have positions on this team as well, which is something we’ve got to note is the Rockets, they’re playing positionless basketball. I mean, nobody besides like Fred is a one and a two. like he can like these guys can play multiple positions. I mean, you got to put them somewhere. I feel like teams like that are the best in the NBA where whatever you need from them that night or in that series in that moment, they’re going to be able to get it done. So, I am very much excited about the Houston Rockets, as excited as I’ve been about them since the 2018 season, and I mean before that happened, when they got Chris Paul, everything just seemed like it was going to be electric. And then of course everything since then has been downhill but the Rockies they go from a playing team they go to the 2C with Emodoka and now they’ve constructed and what they feel like is the perfect roster. I know there’s no such thing but this is about as perfect as it gets. It’s a lot of depth on this team. A lot of guys that can switch everything that can shoot the basketball. Their size, their strength, their speed, their versatility is going to be very very difficult to score in the Houston Rockets next season. And they add in one of the best, if not the best peer score in NBA history in Kevin Durant, who has actually gotten better since his Achilles injury, which he’s the only one to do that. Like, nobody’s increased their points per game. So, Houston Rocket fans should be excited. This is going to be a season to remember. There’s no question about

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