This Monday evening, the Rockets begin their preseason with a match against the Jazz. A rather ideal opponent to test the interior sector since there are always very strong players in Utah with the Markkanen-Collins-Kessler triplet. On the Rockets side, we have three pivots with different profiles with Alperen Şengun, Jock Landale and the ghost Steven Adams. For the Australian, it is one of the best trios in this position.
“It’s clear and obvious, there are two guys who are starting centers: Steven and Alpi” notes Landale. “It’s definitely an interesting dynamic. When you look at it overall, I think I'm one of the best backups in the NBA. And luckily there are three of us who are pretty darn good. I have no problem saying they are two steps ahead of me. When you look at the rest of the NBA, we had a problem at this position compared to the others, and I think the Rockets have put together a phenomenal trio of centers.
Sengun learns toughness
With his experience, Adams gets less excited. The “Kiwi” is just resuming competition, and prefers to see what happens before making a judgment. “In the NBA, I don’t know… but it’s very solid” he admits about the place of this trio in the NBA. “The guys here are very good. But it's more on paper. We didn't play a match. No matter what it looks like on paper, the best-connected team will be the richest. Talent-wise, it’s interesting. We need to create automation as soon as possible. »
For Ime Udoka, we will therefore have to find the right rotations to share playing time between his three pivots. Everyone has a well-defined profile, and the young Sengun can only progress through contact with a veteran like Adams. “Against him, I just have to be harder on delay screens. He's one of the best offensive rebounders in the NBA, and that allows me to learn a lot.” confides the Turk. “He’s going to bring toughness, and Steven is truly the toughest guy in the NBA. He will help us a lot. I have a lot to learn from our battles in training, areas in which I need to improve. He tries to teach us everything. »
For nine years, Adams has always been a starter…
Since his rookie season, Adams has only started four games off the bench in nine years, and he could perfectly start with Sengun, whose mobility and ability to attack the rim while dribbling could be interesting at post 4. “I am comfortable with the idea of playing power forward” answers the inside of the Rockets.
Except that his coach is less convinced. “We talked about it, but we haven’t done it yet” explains Udoka about starting with two pivots. “We're looking… but when you play with two pivots, you want one of them to be a shooter.” However, neither Sengun nor Adams have this interior shooting profile, and for the moment, Jabari Smith Jr. should retain his starting place.
