Houston Rockets · 10 notes
Steven Adams is out with no timeline. Ime Udoka said that takes away Houston's favored double-big lineup, which he likes with Adams over Alperen Sengun and Clint Capela, but "gives other guys opportunity." Oscar Tshiebwe is a center option "if need be without Clint."
don't love Alperen on Kuminga or McDaniels or some of the wings they had out there.
Ime Udoka kept Alperen Sengun on Gobert in the fourth quarter of Houston's loss, switching between small-ball and Sengun at center "trying to get a stop." His reason: "don't love Alperen on Kuminga or McDaniels or some of the wings they had out there."
it allowed us to just keep bodies in front of bodies... stopped a lot of fires.
Marcus Smart said switching Alperen Sengun onto different matchups helped in Houston's win over Boston: "it allowed us to just keep bodies in front of bodies... stopped a lot of fires."
has to win his matchup on a nightly basis
Alperen Sengun returns for Houston. Ime Udoka, pregame, said the back flare-up came from taking a charge and tightening up: "there's no specific injury that continues to happen." Fred VanVleet is out, so Marcus Smart plugs in; with Sengun back, "we can be more well-rounded."
Jabari Smith Jr. "has to win his matchup on a nightly basis," Houston's Ime Udoka said pregame: defenses load up on Alperen Sengun, Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson, leaving Smith "a lesser defender." Udoka said Smith and Durant pass up threes they should take for pull-ups.
They must have read a lot of bad articles somewhere about him.
"They must have read a lot of bad articles somewhere about him." That was Kevin Durant's jab at teams guarding Alperen Sengun one-on-one in the post and at the elbow, when he was asked after the Houston Rockets' win about Sengun's start.
a little pain in the game
Alperen Sengun said he felt "a little pain in the game" after Houston's game but stressed he wasn't saying he got hurt: "I don't think about it." He says he feels healthy and at his best after a quiet summer (just two national team games in July) and a diet program.
Kevin was like, let that unit roll
Kevin Durant sat the whole fourth quarter at his own urging. "Kevin was like, let that unit roll," Houston's Ime Udoka said postgame. Fred VanVleet, Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun "got stops, got out and ran." Udoka still wants his minutes down.
We want to make it easier on him.
From Houston's postgame: Kevin Durant will initiate less and work as a secondary handler, with Alperen Sengun and Fred VanVleet freeing him up. "We want to make it easier on him." The faster pace behind 29 fast-break points stays, turnovers included: "We'll live with that."
He's a fucking amazing defender also, you know, sorry about that.
Alperen Sengun is good to go for the Rockets' home opener against Dallas: "Feeling amazing, you know." At shootaround he likened new teammate Marcus Smart to Fred VanVleet as a leader: "He's a fucking amazing defender also, you know, sorry about that."