The Rockets gave the Spurs a 17-game losing streak 93-82 at home, and the Rockets' home record so far this season is a terrifying 10-1, except for the loss to the Warriors in their debut, the Rockets have won 10 consecutive games after that, and they can be called the strongest Devils in the league, second only to the Celtics. At the same time, Spurs are also on a 17-game losing streak, so there's not much to say. For Popovich, one Wembanyama is not enough right now, and the Spurs will have to pick up another top-three rookie at least next year.
In the past, everyone has always said that the Rockets are rotten, and the Spurs refuse to swing. In fact, in the final analysis, it is the same sentence, not to mess up is the most stupid. Because you can't get stuck there, the road to rise is far away. In the Texas top three, the Rockets didn't mess up after Yao Ming because they got James Harden at a low price, but Harden himself was also selected by the Thunder to get the scout pick. In the same way, there are also Mavericks, after Nowitzki, they also relied on the mess to get the cornerstone Doncic, so they can now enter the playoffs casually.
So the Spurs still need to swing, not to mention three years, two years will definitely be needed. The Rockets are actually talented enough right now, otherwise they wouldn't have finished the season with an 11-9 record and seventh in the West. After trading Harden, they received four first-rounders and four swap rights from the Nets. The team has also acquired three high picks in the past three years, Jalen Green, Smith and No. 4 pick Amen Thompson. In addition, the Rockets are also lucky in other picks, and the 16th pick in 21 almost got Shen Jing in the way of a prostitution, and now he is the cornerstone of the Rockets' interior line, Jokic Jr.
The price the Rockets paid was just two heavily guarded first-round picks for the Wizards and Pistons, now worth two second-rounders. In 22, the Rockets acquired Eason with the 17th pick, relying on Nets draft picks, which is even more of a bloody operation. Ethan is getting a younger version of Leonard. This season, Eason ranks first in the league in defensive efficiency, and in this game against the Spurs, Ethan came off the bench to shoot 8-of-16 in 26 minutes and scored 18 points, 14 rebounds and 2 steals. To be honest, based on the analysis of the Rockets' starting strength, Jalen Green is not even qualified to continue. He's really inconsistent and he's very poor defensively.
Facing the Spurs, Jalen Green scored 7 points on 2-of-10 shooting, and was once again hidden by Udoka in the final quarter, the third time this season. The so-called rookie looks at three years, Jalen Green is in the third grade, but his scoring is still inconsistent, and the shooting rate is still between 41% and 42%. He is sometimes super-god and sometimes super-ghost, and he can already be characterized as not a cornerstone player. Now that the reputation of the Ignite team has stinked, from Jalen Green to Henderson's poor performance this year, perhaps the major teams will still favor regular college players in the future, after all, the stability is higher.
Let's talk about Smith, who was a great 3-and-D interior player in college, and now in his second year, Smith has already taught people what progress is. In his first year, Smith, like Jalen Green's rookie season, didn't shoot well. 128 points 72 boards, 41% shooting, 31% three-point shooting. Smith didn't get any more shots in the second year of the season, even from 11 in the first year3 times down to 102 times, but the stats and hit rate are greatly improved. He averaged 12 per game5 points 87 boards, 483%, 36% three-point shooting.
From Shin Jing and Smith to Ethan, they have all made further progress year by year, but only Jalen Green has stood still. But for the rockets, in fact, these three years are not wasted. After all, there are a lot of people who haven't played on the list, and the Rockets at least have cashed in on Smith's value, and Ethan has also played out what he gave for nothing. This year Amen Thompson and Whitmore were also perfect moves. Maybe this year will be the last chance to prove against Jalen Green, if it still can't be played. The Rockets don't rule out letting him start, after all, Jalen Green himself said this year that the Rockets have put him on the trade table this offseason. Let's say it's hard to hear, Ethan deserves to start more than Jalen Green. If it's point guard Van Jordan, point guard Dillon, No. 3 Ethan, No. 4 Smith and No. 5 Shin Jing, the Rockets' offense and defense will be even more terrifying.