With 34 points and 13 rebounds, the new core of the Rockets was officially on the spot, and Shen Jing had 14 points and defensive holes, and the ceiling was too low
The Rockets had a difficult schedule ahead of them, and the Hawks were just the beginning, with Udoka missing Eason from the available players and not recalling Whitmore to supplement the team's personnel problems with the current roster. Among them, Jabari Smith stepped up, some time ago, Smith played blue-collar, grabbed more than 10 rebounds a game, but shot less, due to the overall three-point feeling in this game, Smith played very tough, and hit three points in the second half.
After VanVleet hit a mid-range shot, the Rockets narrowed the gap to within 10 points, and the defense in the second half of the game obviously changed substantially. Driven by his teammates, Jalen Green was also able to hit three points, and Shen Jing Jinji also had an independent mid-range, and the Hawks were caught off guard. Jabari Smith was the most active player on the offensive end of the Rockets, and the Rockets lost to VanVleet to chase down only three points, and the Rockets had a chance to tie the game, but they rushed to shoot a three-point shot.
Jabari Smith played one of the best games of his career, shooting a career-record free throw, and the third quarter was all his showtime, as the Rockets managed to take the lead from beyond the three-point line. The Rockets once trailed by nearly 20 points, and they were able to reverse, proving the resilience of the Rockets, the most embarrassing thing is undoubtedly Jalen Green, who did not play an important role on the offensive end in the third quarter, and the Rockets played the best two quarters of the game, Green was not the focus, and even went off, and the Rockets played better.
Compared with Jalen Green's previous sluggish state, Jabari Smith adjusted quickly, and he was also DNP by Udoka, but with his excellent shooting ability and defense, he played the best game of his career, whether he won or lost, he has officially taken the position on the Rockets. Among the rookies selected by the Rockets in the last three years, Jabari Smith has been underrated, and his shooting percentage has improved a lot this year, but the Rockets suddenly lost fire in the fourth quarter, missed consecutive shots, and the point difference was opened again.
Shen Jing played very badly in this game, there was not much role at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, Shen Jing's defensive problems were serious, after other teams had figured out Shen Jing's routine, they could no longer show their previous state, the defensive end was too slow, and there was nothing to do about players like Capela under the offensive basket, Shen Jing was finally given up at the last moment, and he got 14 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in the whole game, and the offense looked good, but it didn't reflect how much damage he did to the team.
Smith got 34 points and 13 rebounds in this game, played a career night, and officially took the position, and in the final 14-0 stage, Smith was on the court and Shen Jing was not on the court, and it was obvious who was more important. Shen Jing can't be a core player, the data is very wet, after this game, the Rockets should replace some of the main players and reduce playing time, the Rockets need to make a choice at this point in Shen Jing, whether to use him as the offensive core, VanVleet 32 points and 15 assists in this game, he and Smith are more able to take on the heavy responsibility, after the winning streak, the Rockets are another wave of consecutive defeats.