” It feels good to end on a winning note for sure, but there are a lot of things to correct, a lot of things to improve. » Stephen Silas speech, after a first pre-season game, will not surprise anyone. His Rockets did not need to be perfect to atomize the Spurs tonight (134-96).
Their neighbors certainly evolved without Keldon Johnson and Josh Primo, but they had a lot of trouble finding the target. ” I think we are defending better at the moment. We do better in training because it all starts with training remarks Alperen Sengun, for example.
For most of the evening, they showed good energy in this sector, even when the gap increased beyond 30 units. They are doing well with 96 points conceded which, on the scale of defensive performances last year, is a small feat: the Texans had kept their opponents under 100 points only… seven times. In absolute terms, Houston was by far the worst defense in the entire league with 118 points conceded each night last year.
” We obviously focused on defence. Help was good. We forced them to shoot 3-pointers and our efforts really paid off defensively. Yeah, if we can put in effort, finish possessions with rebounds, then we can run in transition, that’s what we do best “, notes Stephen Silas.
The rookies do the job
The coach adds: I’m very encouraged by our intensity defensively and it’s important for us to translate that defense into attack. The technician was seduced by the cover on the man, on the pick-and-roll or in isolation. And the fact of having been able to push the opposing attackers to play away from the racket.
” If we force the teams to shoot at the end of possession, it means that we are making efforts until the end. Possessions like tonight, where they shoot with a second or two left, or a 24-second violation, those are good indicators of what we’re doing in terms of playing tough defensively. “Judges the coach.
The latter was able to count on the good outings of his rookies, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason, authors of 21 points each, while showing good things in defense. The first ? “ He is well positioned defensively. It is long, athletic and fills the spaces “, enumerates the Stephen Silas. As for the second, the state of mind is already there. “ My mentality never changes. […] I will always give myself in defense and I will be one of the toughest players on the pitch “, promises Tari Eason.
All that remains is to translate these good intentions into the regular season.
