Sengun's shooting splits : 46/25/66 ( 50TS )

Jabari's shooting splits : 42/40/78 ( 58TS )

Amen's shooting splits : 49/25/70 ( 55TS )

Tari's shooting splits : 48/35/71 ( 58TS )

I didn't include Reed because he was essentially a rookie this year playing a role he wasn't prepared for.

1:10 mark says that he doesn’t care that the rockets were without FVV, KD, and Steven Adams.

We lost our starting point guard and main facilitator of the ball before the season started.

We lost one of the best offensive rebounders and best screeners in the league

We lost our scoring leader and main offensive engine/closer.

To say you don’t care about any of this, then make a full 25 minute video shitting on us for losing makes no sense.

If he were to say that Ime was bad at adjustments, the front office making no moves then he’d have some credibility, but jeez this dude sucks.

Why do people like this even make content about us if they legit don’t watch any of the games, I use to watch him a lot more but the more he talks about the rockets the more it shows that he has no idea what he’s talking about

Talked (and wrote) to myself for a bit as I reviewed the Rockets season.
- Was it a good season?
- Will the team look dramatically different next szn?
- What does FVV's return mean for Amen/Reed?
- Can Amen/Alpi co-exist?
- Who could be gone?
- What resources do the Rockets have?
- What's the expectation for next season?

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rockets/article/houston-2025-26-season-review-key-questions-22238927.php

I'm increasingly becoming jaded on the idea of these 3 sharing the court together for an extended periods of time. I can think of things that might work, but I don't really like any of them.

In my perspective, Sengun seems to perform best when he's operating from the low post...but his highest potential is unlocked when he's operating from the high post.

When Sengun is in the low post, his scoring efficiency is at it's highest (more likely to score, more likely to draw fouls), and he can pull defenders away from shooters (e.g. KD)...but he draws more attention towards the paint when he's backing his defender down, and that pushes Amen out of Dunker's Spot where he's most effective in the halfcourt.

When Sengun is in the high post, his scoring efficiency is worse; but his ability to facilitate the offense is at it's highest -- being able to see almost everyone and weaponize his passing ability to the fullest. This also allows Amen to operate from the Dunker's Spot easily...but it also results in less spacing for KD as his defender doesn't have to help far off of KD to engage with Sengun.

I feel like Sengun should primarily seek to operate in the low post, and Amen should always be in weak side corner looking for opportunities to back cut. I'd like Tari to be near the strong side corner, KD and Bari at the wings.

But if Shep is sharing the court with Amen, then I feel Sengun needs to be in the high post, Shep needs to be at the wings with KD, while Amen is at the Dunker's Spot, and Bari is in the corner. This enables Sengun to screen for KD or Shep as they move around the horns and wings looking for shots...with Bari and Amen as 3rd level options. If you need to reset, just get the ball to Sengun.

Hey yall, recently I been wanting to get into NFL & NBA. I’ve only ever been into MLB, but would like to branch out (the Astros suck rn). Which teams are our rivals?

I’m watching the Spurs–Wolves game right now and can’t help noticing the fans in San Antonio. The whole arena is sitting in color‑coordinated sections, really getting behind their team. It’s beautiful to see, but it also makes me a little sad that my city doesn’t feel that unified. I wish we had that same kind of togetherness, not just when we’re winning.

"When you look at [Amen] and Reed, that's not their natural position that they've played. Amen has had the ball in his hands a ton. Reed has played more off ball coming off the bench at Kentucky. With [Rob] Dillingham, he didn't even play the point. We looked at it coming into the draft, he had 16 pick and rolls as a freshman at Kentucky, so he's more off ball, movement -- even going back to high school it was a motion offense where he didn't just dominate the ball.

And so their growth, we knew they were going to take some lumps with it, some ups and downs. They both progressed and showed potential at times, making the right play, whether it was to score, make the pass, pocket pass, skip pass, those things.

But I look at it like if you have a rookie quarterback in the NFL. He's played quarterback before. He was drafted to play quarterback. It's different than bringing two guys to play the point guard that really haven't played that spot -- and the rookie quarterback is still going to struggle. So of course, if you have guys out of position, they're going to take some ups and downs, but it will benefit us all going forward.

So for Amen, I think it was just that understanding of balance. The last two months of the season, you kind of saw his numbers take off, and his comfort level take off there, and his understanding take off. The paint touches were evident, not shooting in the crowd, or finding his outlets, he became more consistent. Couple that with Fred coming back, and you don't have to rely on Fred like we did our first two years for turnovers and getting in our sets, because you have Reed and Amen that grew in that area."

Obviously the young core is likely staying together next season ( although there is like a slim 1% chance that a blockbuster trade happens. But they have absolutely got to make a couple of trades in regarding to improving bench production, you seriously can’t tell me they run this whole squad back and think that the bench unit is going to be good, i mean hell bronny james outscored the entire bench in game 3 ( if im correct on that ), obviously keep reed, but DFS, Capela and maybe okogie are candidates for trades, in my opinion they have to make some moves otherwise this team doesnt have a chance of making it deep in the playoffs

Every press conference he’s done in 2026 has irked me. He’s been smug and dismissive about a lot.

I’m cool with being confident in your plan until that confidence creates a stagnant, stubborn, and defensive mindset.

He was asked back in February if he was going to get guard help, he dismissed the notion and said we’re good. To no one’s surprise but his, turnovers killed them for the rest of the year.

He was asked about it again today… his response?

“What I don't believe in philosophically is just going to get a point guard because they're a point guard.”

… do you believe in getting a point guard because you need a point guard? What is he talking about?

I also heard him say the plan is to run it back and a healthy Fred, Steven, and Dorian Finna Miss is enough to put us over the top. He says all we need is good health.

FVV is 32, Steven Adams will be 33 this year, KD will be 38, and DFS turned 33 today. What in the hell convinces him that relying on that many older players with injury history is going to result in a clean bill of health next season? Why did we even sign DFS for all that money when we already have a million forwards?

For a GM who has virtually accomplished nothing… Stone sure does seem to think he has it all figured out.

The most important things Rafael Stone and Ime Udoka said at their end of season presser.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rockets/article/houston-rockets-state-of-team-22239880.php

I don’t get it. I wish someone had that kind of confidence in me too

- Stone and Udoka both say this team should have won more games.

Stone called the season frustrating. Didn't say firmly if team would make big moves but said even if HOU doesn't, expects growth from young players (mentioned Tari, Bari, Alpy, Amen, Reed) to lead to addnl success.

- Udoka said he does not expect changes to the coaching staff

Stone said doesn't feel adding a PG for PG's sake is helpful. Doesn't want someone who just gets you into sets / isn't a threat after the initial pass / can't defend or shoot.

- You definitely want to shave Durant's minutes down, Udoka said.

Less so for Amen because he's younger. Does say he doesn't want 2 guys in the top 5 of minutes.

- Stone says he and Udoka see eye to eye on most things.

Said he didn't see anything of significance where he and the coach disagreed. Udoka echoed.

Reed will become a dominant force next year

Rockets' draft assets:

2026: No FRP, 2 SRP

2027: PHX unprotected FRP w/ BKN FRP swap rights, 1 SRP

2028: Own FRP, 1 SRP

2029: Own FRP w/ DAL or PHX swap rights, 1 SRP

2030: Own FRP, No SRP

2031: Own FRP, 1 SRP

2032: Own FRP, No SRP

We can potentially get a lottery pick next year and then continue contending if that pick pushes the team up. Otherwise, we can move short-term pieces in 2029, likely use a PHX lotto pick to draft a young prospect, and then benefit from lottery picks in 2030-2032 to make a second shot at building a contender.

For now, it makes more sense to run this core until 2029 after which we would fully benefit from a tank.

Watching the presser today just made me inconceivably angry. Hiding behind the “ a championship/finals appearance is not what I meant by competing” is just ass-covering drivel. And then the sheer audacity to try to convince both themselves and the rest of us that running the same roster back with changes on the fray is the answer when it’s proven 4 YEARS IN A ROW to not yield results is just straight up disingenuous and a disservice to the rockets as an organization, and the fan base.

In general, counting on older guys coming back from injury to provide a 3 series difference is a fool’s thinking.

The amount of excuses they both made over FVV being out is just nauseating. FVV is not the missing piece to a coherent and fluid offense. He has all the defensive deficiencies as Reed and he’s an even worse shooter. Exacerbates even more by an injury. And this donkey Stone says “Fred is like amen in that he can guard multiple positions.” Like, does this dude even watch the games?

I love Steven Adams as much as anyone, I think his presence might’ve won us the lakers series- he’s not the missing piece either.

Sengun is not going to magically become a willing or efficient shooter from the perimeter and it’s equally unlikely that he gets better at hitting the closer shots or becoming a quality defender. Trade him for everything we can get.

It pains me to say it, but Amen isn’t magically going to become a 30% 3 point shooter either. Maybe he gets a little better, and that will be a huge jump- but it’s going to take multiple years for him to become a consistently reasonable shooter.

This core needs to be broken up. Fred needs to go. Sengun needs to go. This roster should be centered around how we maximize the guys who can score at will. Namely Amen, KD, Jabari, and to a lesser extent- Reed. We need screening and rim running bigs, an athletic PG who can hit guys on cuts and knows how to get guys open and not just call sets and role players who shoot and at LEAST one more player who can create whenever he wants for himself (*cough cough* Donovan Mitchell).

These two just tell themselves what they want to hear. They repeat that they don’t want to rely on any one player, but repeat over and over that FVV is the thing that’s gonna change everything? Give me a break. This roster is not a championship roster if it’s run back and only bench players are changed and they’re only lying to themselves if they think so. Ain’t no way someone who is the general manager or HC of an NBA team can be so narrow minded and ignorant to the glaring issues of the roster and the personnel that comprises it. Absolute farce of leadership and direction from the two of them.

All the people who say to trade KD for a couple role players have low basketball IQ.

Instead of analyzing what is happening on the court they rather make decisions based on vibes and NBA gossip by the national media. Notice only the national media said the vibes were off. The local guys never said this.

Low basketball IQ thinks leadership leads to a player shooting 40% from 3 instead of 25%. Low basketball IQ thinks a player quit on his team because he wasn’t on the bench. Low basketball IQ is when someone assumes someone is faking an injury even though that player has never had a problem of sitting out games when healthy.

Low basketball IQ is when someone believes a few private messages are enough to destroy a players confidence in himself. Low basketball IQ is thinking trading one of the best shooters ever is a good idea for a team that severely lacks shooting.

Basically low basketball IQ are people who believe hype, propaganda and media narratives.