On the morning of March 1, Beijing time, the Rockets lost to the Suns 105:110 away. Although the score was only lost by 5 points, the game was not as easy as the score. Throughout the game, the Rockets were behind by nearly 20 points at most. In this game, the Rockets' main center Shen Jing played a disaster, playing 23 minutes, only 8 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 turnover, shooting 3 of 7, 0 of 1 3-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, the lowest plus/minus of -17 in the team, and left the court with 6 fouls in the first half of the final quarter.
And his backup, Landale, who was in danger, played his best performance since joining the Rockets. After playing only 10 minutes, he shot 2-of-4 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line, scoring 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, with a team-high plus/minus of 17. Some fans even said that it would have been nice if Landale had played earlier. After he came out, he didn't let the opponent take advantage of Nurkic in the matchup, which was much better than Shin Jing's defensive effect on Nurkic.
In fact, in recent times, especially after the All-Star break, Landale has seen a clear upward momentum. Against the Hawks, Landale played 13 minutes, and he had 2 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists, and 9 rebounds were a new personal high for Landale this season. In the game against the Pelicans, Landale played 12 minutes and contributed 2 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds.
However, Udoka is obviously more willing to trust Shin Kyung and Old Green, and is not willing to give Landale some time, no matter how bad Shin Kyung's performance is. In fact, judging from the recent state, Shen Jing has obviously encountered a period of fatigue from psychology to physiology, and his enthusiasm for playing is obviously not high, so it is really better to let Landale start, and the whole team will build tactics with Jalen Green as the core, which may have a good effect, depending on whether Udoka is willing to take risks and make changes.