After a frenzied offseason reinforcement, the Rockets have not lived up to expectations in the opening few games of the new season, and they have suffered a three-game losing streak, which has left questions about their ability to make the playoffs this season. Although Van Vliet took the blame after the game, saying that it was because he played too poorly, which led to the team's dismal record. However, fans who have watched the Rockets game can find that the problem of the Rockets is mainly that the young players are not good enough, and from these three games, except for Shen Jing, the performance of other young players of the Rockets is difficult to say. Jalen Green doesn't have enough ball intelligence, there will always be outrageous mistakes on the court, and Jabari Smith Jr. can't find his form, his shooting percentage is low, and his ball-handling ability is still not developed. Rookie Amen Thompson played too little, Eason was sidelined with injury, and Whitmore, who had excelled in Summer League, was dropped off the bench and didn't get a chance to play.
The Rockets began to rebuild after Harden's departure, and after three years of rottening, they also accumulated a lot of high-pick picks and used those picks to select a number of promising new stars, but at present, these young players have not fully realized their talents. In fact, the Rockets' current predicament has nothing to do with general manager Stone, who squandered two precious draft picks by missing out on Mobley Jr. and Banchero in the draft. However, the poor record is not all bad for the Rockets, and if they choose to continue to play bad this season, then it is possible to recoup a first-round pick that was traded to the Thunder, plus their own first-round pick to the Nets, the Rockets are very hopeful of getting a first-round pick next year.
Recently, some American media NBA analysis network made suggestions for the Rockets, and they suggested that the Rockets trade Isaiah Mobley of the Cavaliers, so as to strengthen the team's interior line and relieve the pressure on Jabari Smith Jr. Here's the trade details: The Rockets are sending a 2024 second-round pick in exchange for the Cavaliers' Isaiah Mobley.
Isaiah Mobley Jr. is the older brother of Mobley Jr., he is 203cm tall and plays as a power forward on the court. Big Mobley was drafted by the Cavaliers in the second round in 2022, and although he didn't play much in the regular season, Big Mobley performed very well in the Summer League, leading the Cavaliers to defeat the Rockets to win the Summer League championship, and Big Mobley also overtook Whitmore to become the best player in the finals.
The Cavaliers' current record is not ideal, suffering two straight losses at the start of the regular season, so the Cavaliers management is also looking for trade reinforcements. Considering that the positions of Big Mobley and Little Mobley overlap on the court, but the strength of Big Mobley is much worse, sending Big Mobley away will not have much impact on the Cavaliers. And for Mobley, the Rockets are a place where he can show his talent better, and I believe that he can play better here.
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