There are still 3 games left in the regular season, the Rockets suffered five consecutive defeats, and finally defeated the Magic, the last few games, is the real strength of the Rockets, lack of ability to play tough battles, the Rockets can be called the most embarrassing team in the West, their own unique existence, 5 games away from the Warriors, and 9 games ahead of the Jazz, 11th place can't go up, can't go down, so can 11 consecutive wins, can also be five consecutive defeats to the real playoff team, the gap is completely visible to the naked eye.
Shin Kyung, who originally sprained himself, planned to return from injury, but after missing the play-offs, he would not take risks, and the Rockets found their form again in the game against the Magic. The Rockets and Banchero have an indissoluble bond, Stone had already negotiated with him and was ready to select him with the third pick, but he was preempted, but it was a blessing in disguise, the Rockets got Jabari Smith, which is a good choice, so every time the two play directly, they will be compared, and this matchup, Smith wins.
Jabari Smith got 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in this game, Banchero made 0 of 5 three-pointers, the data is about the same, but the efficiency is much worse, Smith has a low sense of presence during the losing streak, and the ball is heavily concentrated in the hands of Jalen Green and VanVleet. Smith has played as a pure 3-and-D player, and he's adapting to the center role. The Rockets have 6 sons, and the recent situation is even more different, Eason and Shin Jing are in the recuperation stage, Smith and Amen Thompson can provide stable output, and the offense is becoming more and more stable.
Jalen Green and Whitmore, the two leading scorers, exposed their respective problems, among which Green scored 14 points on 6-of-17 and 2-of-9 from three-point range, and has shot less than 40% in five consecutive games. The familiar Jalen Green, in his three-year NBA career, has played a few good games during his 11-game winning streak. He returned to his original form, his three-point shooting ability depends on luck, and his breakthrough and confrontation are not up to the NBA-level level, which presents Stone with a difficult problem of how to renew Green's contract, and after recovering from inefficiency, he is targeted by defense.
Another rookie, Whitmore, who was not in a good enough position, played 5 minutes in the game and was ejected in the third quarter, but only played 4 minutes in the first two quarters, made 2 appearances, and scored only 2 points in the game. Whitmore did not have the surprise at the beginning of the season, the shortcomings were exposed, the way of playing was relatively simple, breakthrough and fixed-point three-point, easy to target, in the previous game, he and Amen Thompson, the two rookies, showed strong physical fitness, full of impact, but without technical support, his ceiling will not be very high, and Green has the same effect.
Finally ending a five-game losing streak, although the victory over the Magic will not mean much to the Rockets this season, but the Rockets' players can be further examined. This year's NCAA is over, which means the Rockets' preparation for next season is about to begin, and the draft is key. The current lineup of the Rockets, lack of shooters, Adams will return next season, the blue-collar center has been strengthened, Smith proved himself no worse than the champion, and finally raised his eyebrows once, unwilling to be a green leaf, the Rockets are successful this year, the results have been greatly improved, and the remaining problems have given Udoka's employment and Stone's contract renewal choice.