Improvement is a good thing…but he’s still a below average defender while typically being asked to guard the worst offensive threat on the other team. When his shot isn’t falling, there’s not much good that he’s offering elsewhere.
I just don’t see anything with him. Every game i watch and look at his box score all I see is him going 2-x. Sucks that everyone else on our team is improving or making some kind of contribution but the person I held the highest hopes for is a dud.
He didn't play the last 18 minutes of the game. And this was a close game on the 2nd night of a B2B, so you don't play other guys heavier minutes unless you REALLY don't want Jalen on the floor. I'd wager Ime would love to not play Jalen at all if that was an option. It's just that Amen or Cam aren't ready to replace him in the lineup and Tari is too valuable right now coming off the bench.
Based on how the offense ran in the 1st half, it's clear Udoka isn't ready to give up on Jalen. That said, the pendulum swung 100% the other way and he benched him the final 18 mins because the Rockets aren't all about Jalen. I don't think he will continue to struggle like this the entire season. At some point he'll find some sort of groove, but it may not be what many of us expected.
People have taken up for Jalen and praised him for showcasing fundamentals he should have learned as a kid.
this game kind of showcased everything Jalen was BAD at. He missed some defensive rotations (Bari probably got dunked on because if it) he was out of control in the air and as a result turned the ball over 6 times in a low turnover game, and his shot continues to elude him. I think you said it perfectly—the Rockets aren’t all about Jalen so he had to sit when he was hurting the squad’s chances at winning. I also don’t think this kind of game will ever be the norm for him, but I’d sure like to see a game where he does everything right soon
I was telling myself that til the last few games. This slump of his has been going on for a few weeks now ever since that first road win in Denver. Alpi slumped a bit, but quickly bounced back. Most of the team was ass against the Spurs and a few of them struggled the next game against Memphis, but they got over that. Jalen looks lost out there and I don't see any progress being made.
Jalen is just mentally soft. He can’t handle Ime’s expectations and standards and folds. He’s not a dawg.
Once upon a time there was a #2 pick. They tried to make it work to no avail. He turned over the ball too much, and just never became the scoring star in pros that they thought he would be. Nope, I'm not talking about Jalen, but is Jalen the Ryan Leaf of the NBA?
yeah i'm kinda starting to give up on the dude. it's not like he can't be a good player someday, but it's becoming extremely unlikely. i have zero superstar hopes now, we can't just wait for him to blossom (if it even happens) because we have so many guys to pay the next 1 to 3 years. we have FVV and brooks eating almost 70mi out of our cap and we still have to pay alpi and jabari (i'm not even gonna count tari, amen and cam). let him hit RFA and see if we can get him on a bargain. i'm still all for developing him on limited minutes off the bench on a cheap contract if possible.
I have been on CF much longer than my join date, early 2000's and have always been a cautious poster as a result. I know if you make definitive statements and are wrong, you will get roasted. I am starting to feel like definitively saying JG is essentially a bust at the #2 overall pick is safe to say. To go further and say the team should look to trade him at his lowest value is tougher, but if I am GM I am listening to calls on him. We have the brooklyn assets and JG to package together without disrupting the core players. At this stage it is not really a question if he is going to turn into a superstar, but when we can maximize his value, it is either now or we try to build it, but either way he does not seem like a guy who can take us to the next level. I personally feel like JG is a tough person to let go because he was the first person we saw us tank an entire season for, I was hoping that suffering would result in a franchise player off the bat, that was just way too optimistic as we tanked two more seasons and although Jabari is becoming more consistent, it is not like we got anyone who was a franchise player at the top of the draft we can immediately recognize as being the face of the franchise. I am going to be sick when we trade JG for some random mid first round draft pick or player that is nowhere near the ceiling JG had on draft night. The Rockets have not had a draft pick this high be a complete bust as far as I can remember, so it is tough to accept.
I would be ok with getting him on a bargain deal and then developing him as he is still young, I do not think a max extension should even be a thought that crosses anyone's mind at this point. Brooks and FVV have more value than Jalen at this stage, his contract needs to be something similar to KPJ, but maybe with more guarantees. 4/$80M and that is only because he was drafted so high and for his potential.
I’m starting to look at it this way, think of Sengun as the 2nd pick and the potential franchise player and Green as the 18th pick.
