The Houston Rockets Have a Big Problem

The Houston Rockets Have a Big Problem

When the Houston Rockets upand Coming Star and Prime candidate for the most improved player of the year award alfaron shenon went down with an ankle injury after colliding with the King Center damont sabonis this occurring at a point in time when the Rockets were struggling to maintain any kind of

Consistency in an up and down year and were more or less out of the play in race with the gap between them and the 10th seed being so large and with shenon going down a player You could argue is their best player at least their current leading score the thought was the slim

Chance of the Rockets making a run of the playoffs were all but dashed away and we would be seeing yet another Lottery season for the young rebuilding team but surprisingly enough the Rockets would go on to win that game against the Kings when shenon sprayed his ankle late

In the fourth quarter and they have yet to lose a game since and suddenly the Rockets have found themselves right in the mix of the playin race with just one game separating themselves and the Warriors from the last playin spot at the time of this recording in my last

Video I had talked about how the Warriors are undoubtedly going to miss the playoffs but that was more in reference to the fact that they wouldn’t be able to make it out of the playm and how I thought it was very unlikely they would fall out of playing contention now

That’s become a serious reality for the Warriors with how they’ve been underperforming and just how well the Rockets have been showing up Houston has been firing on all cylinders and it could not come at a better time in finishing out the season there’s just one big problem for this franchise as it

Relates to their future going Beyond this season and it might be a problem the Rockets least expected until it presented itself what is that exactly well let’s talk about it first real quick from today’s sponsor Underdog fantasy if you guys like making predictions on player stats and props

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The site and the code in the description and pin comment if you’re interested Alfa renu’s quick rise in the NBA has been one of the more surprising success stories in the league for a player who was a highly touted Prospect and one of the best International prospects of his class playing professional basketball

Since he was just 16 years of age in Turkey but his dominant as shenon was playing for the basketball super league and winning the MVP in 2021 a lot of teams would still end up passing on the big man in the 2021 Draft when shenon fell all the way out of the lottery

Being selected 16th overall by the okoma City Thunder who would then trade him the day after the draft to the rockets for two future first round picks both of which did not convey for the Thunder and while shenon had a solid rookie season on a bad Rockets team displaying a lot

Of poise and confidence as a 19-year-old going up against some of the best big men on the planet it wasn’t until his sophomore year did we really get to see the potential and versatility of shenon and how good he could be as a building block for the future of this Rockets

Team so good in fact that he was starting to look like a more well-rounded higher IQ player than their top prospect they drafted number two overall in the same draft class in Jaylen green and that became even more apparent this season in both of these players third seasons in the NBA when

Shen gum was playing like a borderline All-Star and top Center in the NBA at the age of 21 while Jaylen green struggled with his overall consistency his efficiency and overall decision- making on the court having not improved his overall shooting since his rookie year turning the ball over at a high

Rate and not having as great of an impact on winning compared to that of shenon with green having one of the worst onoff numbers on the team alfaron shenon was Rising with his improved offense and efficiency in the paint while also becoming one of the better rebounders in the game of basketball but

Also possessing the court vision and being an offensive hub for the Rockets averaging over five assists per game shenon doing all of this at 21 went from being a player the Rockets could build with to now building around as a potential future franchise player a player most had thought would be Jaylen

Green who was one of the most highly touted prospects of his class number two overall recruit in 2020 only behind Kate Cunningham but something changed dramatically for this team after alfron shenon went down and while it’s still a relatively small sample size and there are a lot of factors that could explain

The reason for the Rocket’s sudden success Jaylen green has been unlocked and making the most of this opportunity and being the Rocket’s number one scoring option again and the 22-year-old is playing some of his best best basketball and looking like the future generational Talent a lot of Scouts had

Hoped he would be Jaylen green since alfaron shenon went down with the ankle injury has been putting up 29.3 points per game fifth in the entire NBA during that span but not only scoring near 30 points per game but doing so on insane efficiency shooting 53% from the field

And a ridiculous 45.3% from behind the arc at over nine attempts per game from three a start contrast for a player who was shooting a career worst 32% from three for the season and 42% overall from the floor not only that we’ve also seen an uptick in green rebounding improv passing and decision-making

Reduction in turnovers and believe it or not he’s even playing better defense still not a great defender but his effort on that end of the floor has been noticeable you want to talk about impacting winning while the Rockets net ratings since shenon went down is the second best in the league only behind

The Boston Celtics a team that had the 21st offensive rating on the season has had the second highest offensive rating in that time frame also again only behind the Boston Celtics now the Rockets defensive rating has dropped a bit but when their offense has been absolutely on fire it hasn’t really

Matter much they are simply outscoring their opponents at will no matter who is in their path and it’s in large part thanks to the much improved play of Jaylen green but why is this happening why the sudden shift in improved offense from the rockets that we weren’t seeing

Before and yes it’s very possible the Rockets are simply just finding their stride late in the season and would have done so whether shenon got injured or not there are a few eye popping things about the way the Rockets have been playing though without him both from the

Numbers and by the eye test the Rockets simply put have been playing a much faster uptempo high ball movement style of offense that we weren’t seeing as much before the Rockets have the third highest Pace in the league since Shen gun’s injury at 100.6 four whereas they

Were 15th in Pace on the season at over one possession lower they went from being one of the worst passing teams in the league in the bottom five of the NBA to now being in the top 10 their overall floor spacing has been significantly better as they’ve been B to generate

More open looks from three with the higher degree of ball movement on the perimeter they’re getting more threes up and they’re shooting it at a much better clip at near 39% and posting the best true shooting percentage in the league in the month of March what’s also noticeable is that the Rockets while

Their defense has taken a bit of a hit on the interior their perimeter defense has actually improved on the whole what’s also noticeable is that the Rockets while their defense has taken a bit of a hit on the interior their perimeter defense has actually improved on the whole they’re giving up fewer

Threes to their opponent the fewest open looks from downtown and allowing them to shoot 33% which is the lowest in the league the Rockets have improved so many aspects of their game and it’s no wonder they’re currently on the longest winning streak in the league and poised for a

Spot in the plan so the question you might be wondering if it wasn’t clear already what’s the problem then if this team is playing some of their best basketball at just the right time and for all of you shenon stands some of which have probably already clicked out

Of the video no shenon is not the problem shenon being out of the line up is not the reason the Rockets have had recent success alfar on shenon is a phenomenal Talent with extreme upside having not even come close to hitting his prime yet and the rockets absolutely

Hit on a gem in making that trade with thunder the day after they drafted him the problem is it’s also possible Jaylen green and shenon might not be the best fit on the same roster you see Jaylen green thrives in an environment with the ball moving fast with better floor

Spacing and one in which he’s able to control the ball rather than operating in a catch and shoot type system I also firmly believe it’s an ego thing Jaylen needs to feel like he’s the primary scoring option the team’s goto guide on the stretch and that ego has taken a bit

Of a hit with the rise of shenon a player from his same draft class the other factor to consider here is both of these players are extension eligible this off season and both guys are going to be expecting to get paid and while the Rockets do have a fair amount of cap

Flexibility both for next season and Beyond the max contract for which they gave fored van Fleet and the sizable deal for Dylan Brooks paying both of those guys big money while also considering extensions for guys like Jabari Smith Jr amen Thompson and even Ken Whitmore down the line might not be

Sustainable while it’s a problem it’s a good problem to have with the Rockets because you can either look to trade one of shenon or a green when their value is at its peak to even further bolster your roster and put better complimentary pieces around the other skill sets or

And likely the most practical option because I don’t see the rock is trading either of these guys you adjust the offense to ensure both players Thrive and what suits their skills this team can now see see what works the question is will they be able to sustain that

Over time time will tell as shenon is expected to return before the end of the season so let me know what you guys think in the comments as always be sure to subscribe and I will see you in the next one

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Discussing the recent success of the Houston Rockets and why the fit between Jalen Green and Apheren Sengun may not be sustainable

#NBA #HoustonRockets #JalenGreen #AlperenSengun #NBAUpdates #NBAVideos #NBARumors #NBADebates #NBANews

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