Amen and Sengun have really highlighted just how vital high basketball IQ is to becoming a star. And it's this exact trait which is why Jalen Green will never be.
I've seen it mentioned repeatedly throughout different threads - but does Jabari have the quickness to defend 3s? I honestly don't think he does. He gets blown by on the perimeter a lot when he's out there. It would be great if he could play there though because it would reduce his weakness of getting bodied by anyone down low.
Sad thing is most of us already knew this. I've seen people repeat this here since Clutchfans was founded. Sadly Stone didn't know? Jalen has at least scored better than other elite first round busts such as Jonny Flynn, Sebastian Telfair and TJ Ford. :facepalm: I would include Tari in the bball IQ group. Jury is still somewhat out on Jabari and Cam, but that's fine.
What Cam has to work on is much less concerning in my option than what Amen needs to work on. Obviously his shot but I'm not to keen on Amens handles either. I'm rooting for both for sure. We'll see what happens...
Actually Amen has very good handles and passing skills. His one and only thing is outside shooting. I am extremely surprised by how well he handles pressure. You can’t teach that. Not sure if he’ll ever get a legit outside shot as it’s extremely rare to go from having none to being a threat. Hopefully he is the 1 in 100 who can do it and no doubt he’ll work his arse off to get there. If not, I give him credit for maximizing the talents he has to be a positive factor while on the court. I didn’t think a player could make it in the NBA without outside shooting, but Amen is proving me wrong!
This is where we disagree because what Cam needs to work on is behavioral as well as skill whereas where Amen needs to work on is just skills. How do you tell somone to not have tunnel vision and take more contact on defense? It's not like you can bring him to a Kum Bah Yah session and suddenly he is unselfish and looking to make plays for others lol. Cam is indeed a hard worker but just like Westbrook he seems to only work on what he wants to work on which is shooting and scoring. Like I said I never saw game where Cam was useful where he wasn't scoring at a great clip, usually he is bad to mediocre on both defense and on the boards and he Ave less than 1 ast a game. OTH Amen is already amazing across the board and getting rave reviews from multiple sources on his play on both sides of the court. Amen does need to tighten his handles and his shot is broke but Rome wasn't built in a day. He has the intangibles and tangibles which can't be taught like high bball IQ, vision, unselfishness, athleticism, length and it's enough to make him a net positive on the court just in his rookie year. Even if he stopped developing right now Amen is good enough to at least be an average starting pg IMO. I'm not pitting the two against each other since they are a good complement and will likely be our backcourt of the future. But there was a reason Amen got taken 4rth and IMO he is the far superior prospect.
I actually find Cam's personality refreshing and needed. We need someone who's not afraid of the big moments. A couple games ago everyone was missing shots and looked afraid to shoot but Cam comes in a drains a couple shots and gets something going. I'd rather have someone who has a chance at being elite at scoring which is what Rockets desperately need more than what Amen currently provides. We got a very good floor general in Fvv and some very serviceable defenders. What Rockets dont have is a go to bucket on the perimeter. I honestly dont know if Amens shot mechanics is broke like Jalen or he just not confident... Go Rockets
I don't think we need to debate Cam vs Amen. They work well together and have naturally complementary skill sets at the moment. They also are both high IQ bball players. Maybe if Amen becomes a great shooter but I think that will take a couple years at least and even then I think it would just make them even better together.
I'm just basing it on reality, one is +14 and the other is - 2. Pretty clear who is more valuable on the court. Big moments are just that, a moment. If you manage to blow out the opponent with consistently great play then there wouldn't be a need for a big moment. But you are right Rox are just lucky we have both. It's fun to see them grow up and we both agree the two of them look a lot more promising than rookie Jalen Green and KPJ.
