(The original text was published on November 29, and the author is James Piercey of SB Nation website. The content of the article does not represent the translator’s point of view)
Recently, the outdoor stand website proposed a trading plan, which aroused heated discussion among rocket fans. The Rockets sent little Kenyon Martin and Eric Gordon to get cuminga, and the Warriors continued to push the deal for Claude of the sun. On the surface, the purpose of the rocket deal is obvious. Cuminga was last year’s Lotto show (the seventh in 2021th). The reason why he didn’t grow well was that he joined a competitive team, and the current Warriors needed more combat capability to win.
Is there any hope for the future of cuminga?
Cuminga’s performance this season is not good, but his situation is very special for young players. At present, the positive and negative value of cuminga on the court is-7.2, while the average playing time of all rockets is no less than that of cuminga (14.8 minutes), the worst positive and negative values are little Jabari Smith (-4.5). By comparing the two, we can see some clues. As a rookie, little Jabari Smith should play worse; However, cuminga, who is already the second year, should play better. However, on the contrary, cuminga played worse than the rookie season.
Is it possible to say that cuminga’s career has been settled? Of course not. However, cuminga’s performance is not optimistic. Usually, players who can become stars in the future can see the potential of stars in the second year of NBA. On the contrary, the growth situation of cuminga in the second year is not ideal. He is playing for a team that aims to compete for the championship this season. If cuminga had been chosen by Rockets, who knew what he would be like now? No one knows the answer.
The rocket got the price of kuminga
What needs to be made clear is that Gordon and little Kenyon-Martin may not be enough to deal with kuminga. I think the Rockets will have to give up the first round of signing of the Bucks in 2023 in this deal. However, this deal is still very valuable for the rocket. The price paid by the rocket is not low. Losing little Kenyon Martin is a huge loss for the whole team. Since he joined the rocket, progress has been made.
As little Kenyon Martin of the previous show, he has made progress in many aspects of technology this season, officially becoming a qualified space player and making progress in team defense, even passing has improved. All these growth have accumulated, and little Kenyon Martin has been able to influence whether the rockets can win the game. Do you still remember the bad positive and negative values of cuminga mentioned earlier? Little Kenyon-Martin is-0.3, which is very good in a team that always loses.
Can cumingka help the rocket?
Regardless of the attitude towards bad behavior, almost every rocket fan agrees with one thing: this season is the last year of bad behavior. To a large extent, it is because the first round of signing of the Rockets next season will return to thunder, and the protection clause is the top four shun protection. When the rocket feels confused about the future, it is worth beating down the heart. The result is that the rocket has Jay Green. After three seasons of ranking at the bottom, next season will be the moment when the rocket ignites and takes off.
Once again this season, he will get a rising star of Gao Shun. The Rockets must start to produce results. It may be difficult to reach the playoffs next season, but at least one playoff play-off seat must be won. Otherwise, once the team is classified as a failed team, it will be difficult for the Rockets to attract the talented players needed for the team to succeed. Hoping that the growth of cuminga in the third year will not help the Rockets achieve good results. It is not sure which Gao Shun rookie the Rockets can get in the draft conference next year.
Shen Jing is the core of passing the ball. Jay Green is the scoring machine for walking, and they need more helpers. For example, a sports flank player can kill in the conversion attack, hit the vacant three points, and have a good chemical reaction with the existing rocket players.
Rockets should be satisfied with the present
It is worth noting that cuminga has the potential to become a star, while little Kenyon Martin may not. Of course, all the high-ranking rookie of next year’s draft conference have good star potential, and Jay Green, Shen Jing and little Jia Barry Smith in The Rockets also have the potential to become stars. Therefore, the Rockets are likely to have at least four players with great potential next season. In this way, instead of pursuing cuminga, who has the potential of a star, it is better to leave the little Kenyon Martin, which everyone likes.
Original: James Piercey
Compile: Li Taibai
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