Official Game Thread: Rockets at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

“And that, kid, is How I Met Your Mother.”

 

Rebuilding from the ground up to become NBA contenders, using the Drafts as the foundation, is never easy. Don’t believe Hawks fans? Philadelphia can tell you a thing or two about it.

Laden with high hopes of Hall of Fame-level stardom, lottery selections and other first rounders could become the next Bouknights and Primos and Zhaires and Killians in a blink. There’s another possible side effect, going on right now with the Houston Rockets, when the draft acquisitions seem like they all could do more than just pan out.

This ought to be a happy season for Rockets fans. Through 50 games they’ve already picked up more wins with coach Ime Udoka, than in any of the prior three training-wheel seasons with Stephen Silas calling the shots. GM Rafael Stone has crafted a roster loaded with upstarts, and he brought in a pair of free agent vets this offseason to hold down the backcourt as Udoka coaches up the youngsters.

Yet not all is as it should seem. There are factions – what I like to call “Muses,” on The Internets these days – touting each of the up-and-comers as The Next Big Thing, insisting that they might already be that if other teammates would simply get out of their way. There’s the international-flavored Alperen Sengun Muse, and the Jalen Green Muse, fending off attacks from the growing Muses for Jabari Smith, Tari Eason, and now, rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore (Questionable vs. ATL, after spraining an ankle last night @ TOR), the latter a big draw for Villanova Muse.

All eyes are on the Thompson twin after Amen collected his third double-double of the season on Tuesday in Indiana (13 points and rebounds, plus six assists and three blocks), in just his second NBA start while filling in for Eason (leg injury management). Normally, this development would be welcome news. But within the Rocket-verse, it’s… great… but at whose expense?

From one day to the next, the Muses are circling the wagons around Their Guy when Udoka offers up a biting critique of their play, lobbing arrows in all directions when Their Guy finds minutes cut, battening down the hatches when Their Guy gets caught in 5G slacking on the defensive end. Were it not so sad, it would be a-Muse-ing.

After toppling the Nuggets in Denver, then beating the Spurs and Ja-less Grizzlies to surf a five-game winning wave to a 13-9 record in mid-December, Houston (23-28) has found their cohesion slipping as swiftly as their playoff aspirations. It’s not as if they are in Tank Mode again, certainly not with this upcoming Draft. With both VanVleet and Dillon Brooks under contract through at least 2025-26, it’s not as though the Rockets have to figure it all out right away. But there’s no need for the players, or their supporters, to cut each other down this early in their trajectory.

Thanks largely to Fred VanVleet (Out since this past Tuesday, strained adductor), Houston has taken care of the ball in ways that teams reliant on youthful playmakers often cannot. But there are too many instances, of Rocket players going it alone (57.7 team assist% since Dec. 15, 3^rd-lowest in NBA; 0.83 points-per iso possession, 4^th-lowest in NBA) that weigh down the offense at inopportune times (56.7 4^th-quarter TS%, 6^th-lowest in NBA).

Central to this is Sengun (6.5 Roll-Man PPG, 2^nd in NBA), who thrives on pick-and-rolls and the occasional pick-and-pops. But his 0.86 iso PPP is on the bottom end of the NBA spectrum, especially among bigs with more than 2 iso possessions per game (Sengun Muse would come at me if I didn’t mention LeBron’s 0.84 is even worse), while his 13.5 TO% is on the way-too-high end. It’s not just on offense where he easily draws Ime’s ire.

Alpo was doghoused, riding the pine late in the fourth quarter of Houston’s 134-127 home loss to the Hawks on December 20, and Udoka minced postgame words about as artfully as he does garlic. “We want our bigs to be up and stay beneath the rollers,” Coach Ime explained to LockedOn Rockets host Jackson Gatlin and postgame media. “[Onyeka] Okongwu got out a few times. [Clint] Capela, same thing.”

“When they’re not setting screens and slipping, you have to be able to adjust and defend those actions. That’s what I saw. Not the best pick-and-roll defense.” Fortunately for The Goon, Steven Adams can’t heal up soon enough. Unfortunately, Udoka sat him again, along with Jalen Green, while praising the bench brigade’s effort during the fourth quarter of last night’s 107-104 loss. (The Raps did have a 22-point lead that they nearly blew in the closing minutes… who does that?)

When asked if he considered going back to Houston’s two top young minutes-loggers, postgame, Udoka replied, “Possibly. But not based on what I saw during the game.” I can only imagine the Muse-ings from overnight. “We need to have that urgency from the start,” Coach Ime remarked about the reserves, taking a flyer from Larry Drew, “from everybody. It’s Game 51. We have to see some growth.” After a season-low 21 minutes last night, Sengun’s maturity-to-date will be on full display in Houston’s Game 52, at least for as long as Udoka can stand it.

Like the Hawks’ past two opponents, Philly and especially Boston, Houston doesn’t allow an abundance of decent transition opportunities for their opponents (1.05 defensive transition PPP, 2^nd behind BOS in NBA). Udoka relies on Dillon Brooks, and Eason and VanVleet when healthy, to muck things up enough to keep them in nightly contention.

On the second night of a back-to-back for both clubs (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, Space City Home Network in HTX), Atlanta (23-29, after yesterday’s wire-to-worn-thread victory in Philly) will need to protect the ball and keep the sloppy execution to a minimum. Trae Young and his fellow Hawks will also want to sink the freebies they could not, last night, to keep the Sixers at bay in the second half, the free throws that Brooks and the handsy Houston defenders (21.2 personal fouls and 25.9 opponent FTAs per-48, 3^rd-most in NBA; 74.8 opponent FT%, lowest in NBA) are sure to grant in lieu of field goals.

Most importantly, the Hawks have to be the team on the hardwood that looks to impress the home fans as a collective, and not with a bunch of Imma Get Mines boxscore stats that only serve to wow the Muses.

Can I get an Amen in here? Don’t let Jalen Green Muse answer that.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Alpo

I call him Alpie. He asked you to call him Alpo?  sheesh make up your mind you Turkish smooth criminal.

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Dillon Brooks,

I read somewhere earlier him talking about stopping Messi? Let’s focus on here Dillon. @lethalweapon3 by the way you know I always wanted to be a Dillon (since 90210). 
 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

handsy Houston

They got it from their coach ‍

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Can I get an Amen in here?

Amen brother and thank you lw3 as always! 
 

GO HAWKS!!!

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[hawkman]

21 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

No mercy. The Hawks have a legit chance to right the ship over the next eight games. This is their chance to get to the 8th spot and possibly beyond.

[NBASupes]

33 minutes ago, hawkman said:

No mercy. The Hawks have a legit chance to right the ship over the next eight games. This is their chance to get to the 8th spot and possibly beyond.

Yep, win baby win

[RedDawg#8]

From now until Feb 27th (6 games) we only have one road game, and that’s just up the road to Charlotte.

After that we spend basically a full week in NY with b2bs against the Nets and then playing the Knicks.

That’s (2) travel trips in the next 3 1/2 weeks.

The Magic are the only winning team we will face before that Knicks game.

7-1 is a realistic possibility if, and only if, we can play with focus, urgency, and good injury luck.

That would be 30-30 staring at the stretch run.

Edited February 10 by RedDawg#8

[LarsV8]

 

Yall gonna slaughter us, so many injuries, don't even think we can field a team. 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

21 minutes ago, LarsV8 said:

 

Yall gonna slaughter us, so many injuries, don't even think we can field a team. 

It's not like we are the picture of health either.

 

[JeffS17]

10 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

It's not like we are the picture of health either.

 

Damn, Murray rly needs to play tonight.  Trae had a heavy load last night.  Not that I expect him to play bad or tired, but it would be nice to have another primary ball handler.  Traes availability and durability is second to none among star players

[JayBirdHawk]

1 minute ago, JeffS17 said:

Damn, Murray rly needs to play tonight.  Trae had a heavy load last night.  Not that I expect him to play bad or tired, but it would be nice to have another primary ball handler.  Traes availability and durability is second to none among star players

If Murray is injured he shouldn't play

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JeffS17]

8 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

If Murray is injured he shouldn't play

Of course, but theres been no real talk on his injury so lower back spasm sounds like to me he was just resting on the first night of the b2b.  Or worse, pouting because he didnt get traded if I want to be very cynical.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

Guards — Young, Murray, Bufkin

Wings — Bogi, Garrison, AJ

Forwards — Johnson, Bey

Center — Okongwu

[hawkman]

13 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Guards — Young, Murray, Bufkin

Wings — Bogi, Garrison, AJ

Forwards — Johnson, Bey

Center — Okongwu

It looks like AJ is getting some playing time tonight. JJ may have to play some small ball center.

[terrell]

40 minutes ago, hawkman said:

It looks like AJ is getting some playing time tonight. JJ may have to play some small ball center.

Or Bufkin

[hawkman]

OO should feast inside with Green at center.