I don't disagree .... but it doesn't work for this team. There is no on ball option and there is no shooting center. Eventually a decision has to be made between the two. The fact that Sengun struggles to shoot as a center isn't a big deal, he's not fundamentally flawed for the position he plays - the problem arises when you have someone else who can't shoot too. I think it's pretty clear that Amen is positionally flawed no matter where he plays, because he can't shoot. The question boils down to which is harder to replace with the necessary parts to be successful and which path offers the highest ceiling.
Who's starting at Center in that scenario? It's not like you have a shooter to plug in in place of Sengun.
Kinda agree but the idea of being positionally flawed is of course long defunct. I don't like when people thoughtlessly chalk things to to positional era but this is certainly different. It's for sure that any of the 5 can be the non-shooter in this era. So to us it doesn't really matter which of them can't shoot, we basically get two coin flips every summer. I think Sengun gets there first, his touch just seems a lot better, has a lot more arc, his 3PT% and volume is better, his FT% is almost as good as Amen's. Which is great because an unusual NBA offense is much harder to defend because teams gear their rosters to standard offenses they see most often. Can't be ready for everyone. You generate a lot more mismatches, you force bigs to guard the perimeter and wings to battle in the interior and we'd have an inherent advantage there. If you have a competent offensive coach of course.
You know it's a bad sign when you find people starting to say that the only way a non-star caliber player can work is if the entire team is based around them. Essentially the Rockets can't ever play a center or anyone who is under 36% from 3 because Amen is so pathetic at shooting a basketball.....so everyone else just has to get better to make up for Amen's shortcomings apparently. Crazy.
Give us a name. If Amen was a horrible pick at the time, who would you have drafted at the time with the 4th? Simple question. It’s draft time, 20 seconds left to make the pick, and Wemby, Scoot and Miller are off the board. Who would you have drafted specifically?
Jabari has played the 5 and it's always been disastrous, he just doesn't have the sand in his pants to play like that.
Amen's the C, that's his natural position based on skill set on offense. Have him set picks and play as a lob threat. KD's the stretch 4.
Yeah, like Westbrook was our center on offense. But these guys can't play center on defense. Basically we need a stretch 5. The problem with our offense is that our center is not a floor spacer. Maybe Jabari would fit better at the 5 next to Amen. But he has trouble guarding big dudes under the basket.
I think I was the first to make that assertion - Amen playing the 5. With the lineup of Reed (or FVV), KD, Tari, Jabari and Amen I see KD as the 2 with Tari and Jabari interchangeable at the 3-4 spots. I would like a stronger on ball option somewhere in that lineup. Is Sengun not being a floor spacer really the problem or is it that Amen can't shoot? In reality, there aren't many centers that are legit floor spacer - only 2 guys shoot 38% or better with over 2 makes per game and Jokic of course with 42% on slightly lower volume. Centers really aren't expected to be shooters while Amen would be expected to be a capable shooter at literally any other position. The guy was drafted as a point guard .... now the only point guard responsibility he has is to bring the ball up, take one look at the lane and either attack it or give the ball to KD and get out of the way. KD has been the point in the half court most of the season. As I've mentioned before, the team has tried Jabari as the 5 on occasion and it's been a disaster, he just doesn't have the size or game for that. He's a perimeter player.
Of course it's Amen's shooting. But if you value the other things Amen can do, then you want to make it work for him. Amen playing center on offense is fine. I've been saying that he should be the screener, not the handler, in PnR. But he can't play center on defense. So you still need someone who can defend big guys under the basket. And that someone needs to be able to shoot outside on offense. The closest thing we have on our roster is Jabari.
Or you just make Amen get better or lose playing time. He's not the caliber of player you completely bend over backwards for.
I suppose that's the question - does the front office value the things Amen does well enough that they build the team to suit him when he's not the first, second or even third option offensively (in the half court). I think it's a tough thing to ask.
Why dont u go to chat gpt and see the list of players who were drafted behind him, there is at least one that stands out.
