After it seemed for a long time as if there was nothing at all going on in the Space City in the final weeks of the season, the Rockets have powered their way back into the postseason picture with a sensational run – and thanks to Jalen Green.
From Seb Dumitru
After ten wins in a row, Houston (37-35) is only two games behind the Golden State Warriors (38-35) in the fight for 10th place and the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. Yes, the game plan was inviting. But victories are victories are victories.
Just a few weeks ago, the Rockets had completely crashed. A series of 18 defeats from 24 games caused the Texans to crash after a solid start. At the end of February, with a 25-34 record, they were way behind in the West, somewhere in the lottery spots. However, their own first round pick this year belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder (after all, a first round pick is coming back from Brooklyn) – so intentionally losing would defeat the purpose.
Injuries to Alperen Sengün, Cam Whitmore and Tari Eason had thinned out head coach Ime Udoka’s rotation. Jalen Green was in the midst of his biggest slump as an NBA player, Jabari Smith was searching in vain for his role, Fred VanVleet is having his weakest season since 2019. So it would have been understandable if Houston had slowed down and shifted towards player development and future thinking.
Not under Udoka! The new head coach has completely transformed not only the defense, but the entire franchise culture. Instead of excuses and running out, there is a need for rank and endless fighting spirit. The jump in defensive rating is one of the most impressive things this season. The Rockets rose from 29th place last year and have the eighth-best defense in the NBA this year.
A lot has also happened in attack in the last few weeks. Houston has the second-best attack in the league in March, only Boston is better. In the win against Utah a few days ago, Houston’s offense put up 147 points and hit 27 three-pointers – one less than the franchise record and two less than the Milwaukee Bucks’ all-time NBA record.
Actually, the long ball wasn’t this team’s strength for a long time. The improvement from distance is no coincidence, as is the improvement in overall offensive efficiency. Houston has now hit 15 three-pointers or more more often in its past 21 games than it did in its first 50 games combined.
Jalen Green benefits from Sengün’s loss
Without Sengün’s clogging effect in the middle, several things are possible: the Rockets can play smaller and much faster, fly across the floor in transition and finish ultra-efficiently early in the shot clock. There is also space for drives and kickouts, free threes after swing-swing passes around the semicircle are just a logical consequence of the new Pace & Space style.
The biggest beneficiary is Jalen Green, who can suddenly show why the Rockets saw him as a future star in 2021 when they selected him with the second pick in the draft.
Green has taken his game to a whole new level, scoring 29.0 points per game on 50/44 splits during this run. The Rockets are said to have offered him to Brooklyn at the trade deadline in a rumored exchange for Mikal Bridges. The Nets declined – fortunately for Houston, as it turns out today.
Rockets are back in the NBA
Green has proven that he is just as capable as a franchise player like Sengün. So far they have not managed to ignite at the same time. However, none of them are older than 22 years. For Houston, the future will be about finding out whether and how the two can co-exist.
Regardless of whether they end up participating in the postseason or not (the remaining schedule is the fifth toughest in the NBA!), the Rockets are one of the winners this season. After years of irrelevance, this club finally has an identity and respectability again. And in the best case scenario, two young franchise pillars that promise future success
2024-03-28 12:10:00
#Houston #liftoff #Rockets #flying #unprecedented #heights #Sengün
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Rockets Revival: Jalen Green Leads Houston’s Playoff Push
After it seemed for a long time as if there was nothing at all going on in the Space City in the final weeks of the season, the Rockets have powered their way back into the postseason picture with a sensational run – and thanks to Jalen Green.
From Seb Dumitru
After ten wins in a row, Houston (37-35) is only two games behind the Golden State Warriors (38-35) in the fight for 10th place and the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. Yes, the game plan was inviting. But victories are victories are victories.
Just a few weeks ago, the Rockets had completely crashed. A series of 18 defeats from 24 games caused the Texans to crash after a solid start. At the end of February, with a 25-34 record, they were way behind in the West, somewhere in the lottery spots. However, their own first round pick this year belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder (after all, a first round pick is coming back from Brooklyn) – so intentionally losing would defeat the purpose.
Injuries to Alperen Sengün, Cam Whitmore and Tari Eason had thinned out head coach Ime Udoka’s rotation. Jalen Green was in the midst of his biggest slump as an NBA player, Jabari Smith was searching in vain for his role, Fred VanVleet is having his weakest season since 2019. So it would have been understandable if Houston had slowed down and shifted towards player development and future thinking.
Not under Udoka! The new head coach has completely transformed not only the defense, but the entire franchise culture. Instead of excuses and running out, there is a need for rank and endless fighting spirit. The jump in defensive rating is one of the most impressive things this season. The Rockets rose from 29th place last year and have the eighth-best defense in the NBA this year.
A lot has also happened in attack in the last few weeks. Houston has the second-best attack in the league in March, only Boston is better. In the win against Utah a few days ago, Houston’s offense put up 147 points and hit 27 three-pointers – one less than the franchise record and two less than the Milwaukee Bucks’ all-time NBA record.
Actually, the long ball wasn’t this team’s strength for a long time. The improvement from distance is no coincidence, as is the improvement in overall offensive efficiency. Houston has now hit 15 three-pointers or more more often in its past 21 games than it did in its first 50 games combined.
Jalen Green benefits from Sengün’s loss
Without Sengün’s clogging effect in the middle, several things are possible: the Rockets can play smaller and much faster, fly across the floor in transition and finish ultra-efficiently early in the shot clock. There is also space for drives and kickouts, free threes after swing-swing passes around the semicircle are just a logical consequence of the new Pace & Space style.
The biggest beneficiary is Jalen Green, who can suddenly show why the Rockets saw him as a future star in 2021 when they selected him with the second pick in the draft.
Green has taken his game to a whole new level, scoring 29.0 points per game on 50/44 splits during this run. The Rockets are said to have offered him to Brooklyn at the trade deadline in a rumored exchange for Mikal Bridges. The Nets declined – fortunately for Houston, as it turns out today.
Rockets are back in the NBA
Green has proven that he is just as capable as a franchise player like Sengün. So far they have not managed to ignite at the same time. However, none of them are older than 22 years. For Houston, the future will be about finding out whether and how the two can co-exist.
Regardless of whether they end up participating in the postseason or not (the remaining schedule is the fifth toughest in the NBA!), the Rockets are one of the winners this season. After years of irrelevance, this club finally has an identity and respectability again. And in the best case scenario, two young franchise pillars that promise future success
2024-03-28 12:10:00
#Houston #liftoff #Rockets #flying #unprecedented #heights #Sengün
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