[Dunc'd On Podcast]Houston Rockets 2023-24 Outlook with Kelly Iko

Any IKO trade ideas made on the pod??

 

I pretty much agree with this.

I think they are gonna struggle offensively and be a very solid defensive group.

They just lack shooters in general. Tari was the best shooter remaining on the team from last season.
FVV is "league average" and Brooks is ~3% below that.
We really have to hope that Jabari makes a big improvement over last years .307.

Defense is more about scheme & effort - they should have both in spades.

 

Nate had good takes on Dillon and Fred, and for a national guy knew as much as one could expect on the rest of the Rockets. Kelly Iko, I guess congrats on covering those others teams because apparently he has quit watching Rockets games.

“Sengun dominated by Zach Collins” - Ime experimented with switching everything those Spurs games which resulted in Jabari and our wings matched up in the post vs Collins, which he dominated, it had nothing to do with Sengun. Which makes it even more hilarious that they suggest the closing lineup be Jabari at the 5, who in addition to Collins, I saw Nikola Jovic punish in the post (the Miami one, not the the Denver one). For as much as I am happy about Jabari’s offensive progression so far in preseason, the defense, particularly post defense has not been a bright spot. He’s just providing zero resistance there. I would expect to see plenty of Jock Landale minutes at backup 5, much less closing games with Jabari unless for very specific small matchups.

Their general ambivalence towards Sengun, mostly from Iko pushing it onto Duncan since he doesn’t know better, just does not fit what we have seen in preseason.

Sengun averaged 22.9 mpg in the preseason which is right in line with the rest of the starters, 23 mpg for fvv, 25 mpg for Jalen and Jabari. There is no indication that he won’t be a big minute starter or won’t close games (if anything, preseason has shown that we do not have the personnel to go small).

Sengun averaged 2 blocks and 1.4 steals in his 23 mpg, one of the leading shot blockers in the entire preseason. Dare I say he anchored what turned out to be the 2nd best defense in preseason. This is not a fluke either since we know he had high stock rates in the Turkish league, also leading that league in blocks. He has defensive deficiencies (slow feet) but people forgot that he has defensive strengths as well, and Ime is incorporating those strengths into a scheme that makes sense. His defense has been a major revelation in preseason(90 drtg) meanwhile these guys could only talking about how you can’t play him at the end of games because of defense.

Lastly, Sengun struggled mightily on offense, he was trash, but still had a 26% usage rate - they went to him a ton. That was my other takeaway from preseason, it was shocking how often he touched the ball after getting used to how little he did at times last year. 26% was actually higher than even Jalen’s usage this preseason. There is no evidence that Ime won’t lean into Sengun like how Duncan suggests, in fact all indications point otherwise.

It’s nice that national media gives us a small spot light, but sucks that the local guy who is supposed to be the expert on the team is still sipping that Silas haterade on Sengun. Oh and both of them suggesting we would “improve” from 28th on offense to 26th had me spitting out my drink. Just high comedy stuff.

 

People in general vastly overstate the importance of 1 on 1 matchups in the NBA. When you see Jokic went off, you just assume the other big got torched, but it's not playground ball, "whose man is that?!" These offenses have so much movement and free flowing nature to them, there are a ton of switches and rotations that factor how guys are getting open. Saying Collins had a good game, so Sengun sucks on defense is about as lazy as it gets, but I understand why these "analysts" would say such a thing. To someone who never played at least Varsity basketball, that would seem completely reasonable to assume.

 

Yeah, that kind of statement was silly even in the 90s and it's even more flawed today due to "positionless basketball" and everybody switching onto everybody else