Why do the Rockets give up so many double digit leads this season?

Don’t forget turnovers and dumb fouls at the worst time.

 

Ime is not the problem. Lack of point guard is a huge issue and beyond that..: team simply doesn’t have enough dynamic scorers. What do the Ime haters expect from the guy? He is playing to the team’s strength and doing his best to mask its weaknesses while trying to develop some of the young katz… chill

 

The cheerleaders close aren't skimpy enough, therefore, no real motivation to win.

 

Imagine watching this team game after game and coming to the conclusion that the coach isn't tied for the biggest problem.

And he's only tied because not having a PG hides how incompetent he is thus why that's so evenly ranked as an issue.

I just cannot fathom watching his ineptitude in so many facets and having the audacity to say he's not the issue hahahahaha.

Let me break it down for you.

What do people expect?

- Get the guy who's the second best post player in the league, ball in the post and not spending 99% of the time behind the perimeter playing to his weakness (LOL)

- Get the guy who excels in the dunker spot, in the dunker spot and not forcing him to play to his weakness consistently (LOL

- Get the guy who is shooting 40% from downtown, I don't know, maybe some easy looks from downtown.

There's three braindead ideas a nobody just came up with off the top of his head that head coach genius who definite'y isn't to blame Udoka can't come up with on his own.

Talk about a horrendous post.

And just for sh*ts and giggles. Maybe not forcing a 37 year old to work for the hardest mid range jumpers he's ever taken in his career hahahaha.

 

Why do you think it is that this team is built with a bunch of defense first forwards from the ground up

it’s not a coincidence


You can’t run cover for Ime and then complain that he got the exact guys in the system he wants to run. He didn’t prioritize offensive firepower so he needs to live with the result.

 

There is no lead that is safe ----- every NBA coach.

A 10 to 16 point lead is nothing in the modern NBA. The Rockets have not been good enough this year to consistently push those leads to a safer 20-plus.

 

It's not really a PG problem. It's a creator problem.

We just don't have anyone outside of KD and Sengun who can create offense in the half court. Amen can only do it when the defense is not set. Reed is too scared. Jabari and Tari are too clumsy.

When both KD and Sengun sit, the offense goes nowhere. That still does not mean that we should spam KD/Sengun isos. We need some offensive creativity to mitigate the scarcity of dynamic creator.

 

I blame the double digit IQ coach

 

Oh oops

 

Ok coach

 

Translation: I got nothing

We know

 

They make adjustments. We don't counter.

 

I took a look at the stats this AM, and the thing that stood out to me is just how few 3 point shots this team shoots. The percentage they shoot is decent enough, but they just take so few. That's probably because of Sengun, and Amen mostly.... and KD down the stretch relying on those long 2's which are money.

So I think they don't typically take large leads down the stretch in games because they rack up point getting 3 or 4 threes in a row like you see with most NBA teams currently.

I know its the start of the game, and not the ending, but look at the first quarter last night vs the Pacers. Look how our team was dominant, but because they took and made their first four 3-pointers.. they hung right there with us.

Sengun/KD offense is a blast from the past, and not having either of these two players being ball handling play makers to create a double team, and kick out to 3 point shooters like you saw in the past with Harden, or you saw in the way past with Hakeem is why you don't see a real advantage being able to take advantage of having 2 star offensive players. Neither of those 2 guys really are those type of playmakers (at least yet with Sengun who is a great passer but seldom sets up open 3 point looks).

The big thing that can change is Amen can get in the lab, and create a serviceable 3 point shot, and Sengun can learn how to better setup 3 point shots off a double team if they don't single guard him like many teams do because they live with his post ups vs allow him to create off the double team.

 

People don’t want to hear this, but a “double digit” lead isn’t what it used to be. Step back from the Rockets. Double digit leads evaporate in the blink of an eye every night in the current NBA. Just last night, the Hornets came back from 22 down to win by 7.

 

OK, it's a REED problem

When Reed hits his 3 points, the Rockets blow team out. When he doesn't, it's a struggle.

 

You can’t deny the entertainment part of watching the Rockets blow leads on almost every game. It forces you to watch it till the end. Blowouts are too boring. Lol

We seriously do need shooters though, if the other guys are on a 10 to nothing run and we’re putting up bricks, we’re gonna lose those games regardless of whom we are playing.

 

1) Start possessions with a guy who can't shoot
2) Run low output sets
3) Profit
(in draft picks)

 

So..... I don't think that's necessarily the case because teams are loading up on him to make sure he is smothered when we are on offense (and of course targeting the crap out of him on the other end due to him being a liability).

The fact that the other team is able to smother him as a shooter means they are lagging off of other non-shooters to be able to do that. Namely Sengun, and Amen. When you have the double big in there, AND Amen it really becomes an issue even though the size factor helps with offensive rebounds.

Its a tricky roster we have right now, and sooooooo much would be solved if Amen or Sengun could shoot the 3 respectably, and for sure if Reed could become a better defender, and not be a liability as a ball handler as well when needed.

These are really issues for the Summer though. Mid season if you are trying to win now, I think the only thing they can do is find a way to pick up respectable shooting veterans and minimize those lineups that have deficiencies that are easily exploited.... which means less PT for Reed and moving Amen back to the dunker spot more and more which does hold back his development as a playmaker.

So if I had it my way I'd probably set my expectations low for the playoffs/play-in, play the young guys with the ability to expand their games, have talks with KD to understand how the back half of the season is likely to go, stress how big of an offseason we need to have, and really try to setup a great run in 2026/27.

 

The TLDR version is .... The Rockets need a BIG Summer of development from Amen, Reed, and yes... Sengun.

That is the most efficient way to make this team a contender not just in the short term, but also to have the longest runway for multiple title runs. We need a huge Fcking summer to shore up player deficiencies.

 

This is true. Our lack of dependable 3 pt shooting and Ime’s insistence on ISO’s by two point shooters is what is holding us back. Maybe it is personnel and, if so, that means one of two things. Sengun or Amen has to develop a reliable 3 pt shot or one of them has to be traded. Neither will happen this year so our best move is to acquire a 3 pt shooting combo guard and see if having one more reliable 3 pt shooter will help our offense.