Rockets FALL SHORT Vs Heat As Alperen Şengün And Amen Thompson FAIL To Deliver ON BOTH ENDS
Rockets FALL SHORT Vs Heat As Alperen Şengün And Amen Thompson FAIL To Deliver ON BOTH ENDS
Houston Rockets fall to the Miami Heat as Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson struggle to deliver the production that fans expect. Is lack of guard play behind the Rockets’ offensive woes, or has defensive regression become a bigger problem? Reed Sheppard steps into the starting lineup for Jabari Smith Jr., raising questions about lineup continuity and the team’s ability to handle Miami’s aggressive zone defenses.
Host Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) spotlights Şengün’s inconsistent performances, Amen Thompson’s downward shift in defensive impact, and Ime Udoka’s puzzling rotation decisions. Key discussion points include Reed Sheppard’s offensive spark, the ongoing challenges of Rockets’ perimeter shooting, and the debate between starting Jabari Smith Jr. or Tari Eason. With the Warriors matchup looming, can this Houston Rockets squad regain their form and maximize their talented roster?
#Rockets #NBA #AlperenSengun
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30 Comments
RE: Alpi – Could it be that the KD burner comments really affected him mentally/emotionally and it's showing up in his game?!?🤔🤷🏻♀️
Yes, on starting Reed. I would start Jabari over Eason. Udoka needs an offensive coordinator assistant coach.
The problem with Sengun is his conditioning. This was his 3rd game in 72h. First half his feet worked and he was -4. His feet were completely depleted in the second half with a net -14. His 2 and 3 day rest stats are pretty good. 0 or 1 day rest stats suck.. This is happening bc of his Euro games in the summer. He didn’t rest well and probably couldn’t give his max to his conditioning in the late summer with Rockets. It should be better in playoffs where there are reasonable rest days between the games
I know some of us don't want to hear this, and trust me, for a while i didnt either, but it's time that Sengun gets traded.
I disagree Alperen has been amazing plus he had a little injuries as well the team is worst off without him what they need to do is play around him!!
Amen needs to lead the 2nd unit like Westbrook did with the Lakers, Clippers, and Nuggets to give them a 2nd wind. The only reason to play Amen and Sengun together would be for tight defense…and this is a maybe. The lack of spacing likely contributes to them looking tired in the 4th during close games, which can lead to injuries down the road. Ime wants visual cues of hustle, but flow is what's needed here. I'd start Sheppard/Eason/KD/Jabari/Sengun.
Alpi has to be much better. getting exposed now.
Shengon shot a push shot.
i think alpi and KD are going to show up in the play offs like he did last year, the first game against OKC he was a force. i’m more worried still about reed and Bari’s consistency when it comes to the end
Sengun's 2 rebounds is bad sure, but it is unfair to look at this like that. he boxes out the biggest threat, gives the effort + maybe even tries to control second threat, but somebody else crashing in and grabs the rebound instead, or Amen gets the rebound, etc. or you can be very unlucky, most of the rebounds are long etc. these things happens all the time. the issue is mostly, Jabari was missed in paint, Alpi got into foul trouble and also did not seem to giving extra effort (bad morale or something else dunno). that's about it. Also about his defense, he can probably guard anyone 1 on 1 decently, except fast guards. but he can't defend the rim where 1 or 2 high flyers crashing down at constant rate. and you know what most of the centers or rim protectors also can"t. especially if you are the sole guy alone under the rim with such responsibility. again, Jabari is being missed.
I am just gonna address the rebounding nonsense. I do not have the time for any other stupid takes. You gotta watch the games. Boxscore aint enough. And when I say watch the games, I mean you dont know how to watch. You dont know what you see. Alp tried to box out either Ware or Adebayo. He was boxing out the whole night. I am so sick of you lot not knowing sht about ball.
You're talking about putting all three of our offensive players in the starting line up. That doesn't leave much for the second unit. Don't know if that's the best call.
Start Reed for Tari and I think that’s the best 5 to start!!
Although he had his rough stretch in January, this team needs Jabari’s communication on defense and whether it’s there or not, his midrange shot outside of KD to pull up in those open spaces when they’re there. I love Tari’s energy but as of now it’s should be Bari in the starting lineup and if Tari consistently out plays him then a switch can be made
Although it would leave us without bench scoring, I think Reed has to be in the starting lineup. We’ve seen throughout the season against “weaker” teams the rockets can survive with the typical lineup but if you think of the wins we have against good teams (Denver, OKC, Spurs, Detroit, etc) Reeds offense has been the difference in those games that spaces the floor and gives another shooter
Goon needs to stay in the post. He's not a guard. Keep him off the perimeter. Amen is small fwd. Ĥes a glue guy. He's not a pg. Houston seems to run an offense that doesn't mirror the talent on the team. It reminds me of Jason Kidd putting Flagg at pg. It didnt work. It made him uncomfortable. Not maximizing his talents. I'm losing confidence in Ime. Their not developing. Dribbling, shooting is lacking.
We cant keep saying that Sengun is young and will grow into a better defender. That guy has zero lateral quickness and needs to go. Sengun for Giannis
I'm not nearly as high on Sheppard as you are. Sheppard's supposed to bring efficient scoring to the team, so no, I don't think 5/14 FG for this game is acceptable. I don't agree with the premise that his offense vastly outweighs his defensive liabilties, and even less making a point out of it coming out of a 5/14 game with a negative +/- against a play-in Heat team. Just did a quick search. Sheppard has been a negative in more games in the 2025-2026 season, than a positive, and in seven times he's been neutral. Considering he's playing in a 3rd seed, that does not match up with being a positive impact player. When the team's healthy, I'd bring him off the bench to see if he's hot from three. If he is, keep him in. If not, back to the bench. I think that the Rockets not making a move to get a vet guard once FVV got injured has been the worst decision of the (off)season.
I was really excited with this team before the season started. Not so much right now. Don't see that we can get too far in the playoffs without a legit lead guard. Our offense will probably be taken down with relative ease by the first team that we encounter in the playoffs that has a solid coach and decent defensive personnel. Don't see many build-around pieces moving on forward. Would like to see some important changes in the offseason.
It’s frustrating to see Amen Thompson struggle in his new role, but this is part of the process. Running point is one of the hardest jobs in basketball — controlling tempo, reading defenses, and making the right decision every possession isn’t easy. Not many guys can truly do it.
He needs these reps to grow and get comfortable. And once his shot develops, everything opens up — driving lanes, passing angles, spacing — making the game easier for him and for his teammates.
It seems his confidence is not the same since the KD tweets
Man I’m tired of this damn team. To much talent to be going out like this. We should be the piston rn
God please stop calling that man Alpi 🤮
This one is not on Ime. He did the rotations right.
This embarassing loss is solely on Sengun's disgustingly bad performance on both ends of the floor and on Amen Brickson, a dumbass who can't shoot FT.
If Daddy keeps up lik this, it would be a smart move to trade him in the summer while he still has any worth.
Every time I have seen his slow ass starting the play from the 3 point line, I got sick to my stomack. Wtf are you think you're gonna do from there vs Adebayo !? 😂
P.s. Let's be honest here, the Heat showed 3 times more hustle and effort, running us over and outrebounding us
Jackson harpering on Amen inability to shoot, when Sengun been in the league longer and still cant shoot
Don't drag Amen into Sengun coming up small
You can't expect your center to do EVERYTHING on the floor. Alp needs to be a defensive anchor, floor general, 35% or above 3pt shooter, creates his own shots(40% of his points are assisted compared to 70% league average), creates for his teammates, and these stupids still think ALP and AMEN have failed to deliver. No IDIOTS, it is IME who failed, none can be successful with these shity offensive schemas and bad rotations. Those guys are still 22-23 years old, and you stupid people are trying to scapegoat them after every game.
Jackson, do you ever make a video about KD's turnovers and lack of effort on the defensive end? Or are you like IME, you'll look somewhere else when he makes mistakes and find a young player instead to blame. This is a masterpiece of stupidity. Good job.
Trade sengun
Sengun cang play offence or defence and that's a fact.
Sengun must put much more effort on the court. He is better than that