Angle Fantasy Basketball

There were two reasons I decided to go to this game. 1. Watch Jalen Green, one of my favorite up-and-coming players, play in person. 2. Determine if Sengun had what it takes to be a number 1 option on a playoff contender. As someone who has been closely observing the Houston Rockets’ development over the past 3 years, I am pleasantly surprised by the direction and leap they are taking this season. At 5:30 PM PST, I wore my Jalen Green Statement edition jersey and headed out to the Crypto.com Arena, aka the Staples Center as we locals still call it. In this article, I will discuss Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun.

Oh Jalen Green…

I am going to be frank. I was not impressed with his performance. Nor was I given anything out of the performance to keep me bullish on his short-term future. Jalen finished the game with a disappointing 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists, on 4-15 shooting from the field. Jalen also had a disheartening 6 turnovers. Unfortunately, many of his turnovers were unforced errors and resulted from a lapse of focus. However, we must understand that Jalen is learning to play off-ball because of the off-season additions of Fred ValVleet and head coach Ime Udoka. Jalen is also unlearning the bad habits from his first two seasons when the Rockets were under the helm of Stephen Silas. Stephen Silas is infamously known for his “AAU ball” playbook, which ultimately stunted his long-term development and discipline. We have to treat this year as Jalen’s rookie year because he came into this league as a raw and electrically athletic talent. If you are a believer in Jalen’s long-term potential, there will never be a better buy-low opportunity than there is now. As Fred eventually phases out of his contract (the third year is a team option), there are flashes of a Murray-Jokic partnership with Sengun.

Sengen’s Ascent to Stardom

Coming into the season, I admit I was skeptical about how Sengun would integrate with Ime’s defensive philosophy. Would Sengun step it up? Or will his defensive liabilities play him off the court with a no-nonsense coach? To my surprise, Sengun has been one of the top 25 defenders in the league posting an impressive 108.2 defensive rating while increasing his offensive output. Sengun posted 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists, with 2 steals and 2 blocks. Nowadays, it’s hard to differentiate the boxscore if we look at his and Sabonis’ numbers side by side. Sengun’s willingness to shoot the 3 ball sets him apart from Sabonis. I was very impressed with his confidence to shoot the 3-point shot making 3 out of 8 attempts after AD constantly dared him to attempt a 3-pointer time after time. After a strong start to the season, the buy-low window officially closed. I see an all-star appearance very soon.