Jalen might become a problem. Hear me out. He isn't a problem right now, but because he is clearly not yet "the solution" as he has a ton of growth still to become that franchise player you build around he could become a problem. What happens if he insists on a max extension or a trade this offseason? The Rockets can't pay everyone as the new Salary Cap rules are very restrictive for teams that go over the first apron - which means two max players at most and then a bunch of guys paid reasonably in the $15-20 million range. Every year going forward, the Rockets will have to be very careful about who gets an extension and how much that extension pays each player. Some guys will end up being trade fodder because they want a larger role with higher pay than what the Rockets will be able to pay.
It’s common sense that players that are clutch in big moments have a mental toughness about them. Jalen had a chance this week to continue the play-in push but failed to keep his play at a high level. If Jalen needs time to adjust, when will he finally get it? It looked like he had arrived in March, but it looks to have been just another streak.
That is a true statement. The problem is he has not had enough of them and his lows are REALLY low and by far the majority of his games in his career are of this nature. I do not expect him to be a superstar all the time at this age but I also do not want him to drag the rest of the team down which he did most of this season. His streak has won me back somewhat but I want to see him play much more consistently next year. His lows should be no worse than 50% of his highs.
This year was basically his rookie year under a real coaching staff. He improved dramatically and still has much to learn. He got double teamed after the winning streak and has understandably struggled. It is all part of the learning process and that won't happen as much next year with Sengun back as he'll toss it in to him when doubled up. Currently, he has no other all star caliber threats on the court to take the pressure off of him.
I agree he was basically tossed to the wolves his first two years. I am hoping the streak is the beginning of him becoming all he can be. Streak Jalen with Sengun playing at a high level is a top four team in the West and may compete for the top spot if the other players improve enough. I have my fingers crossed.
Don't worry, just give him a max deal and 4 or 5 years from now he'll expand from playing well 10 games per year to 20 games per year.... and if not, it'll be someone else's fault.
You and I both know that these awards at any level are arbitrary. Based on what? Who’s decision? Who’s standards? The MVP voting process clearly illustrates this arbitrary nature of the award. I already said people should be recognized but to say one person contributes more or more impactful is biased and arbitrary without concrete guidelines and criteria on what makes someone most “impactful”. How do you quantify impact? That’s why I say it’s all fruitless. You said impact. Being the best player on a team not necessarily equates being the most “impactful” as there’s several ways to impact a team including outcomes of games or level of play or culture of the team etc. Christian Wood was arguably the Rockets best player in 2021. Was he the most impactful? Who was the most impactful on those Spurs championship teams or that Detroit team? Again it’s arbitrary. Anyway 2 schools of thought 2 views I suppose. It is what it is
