November 14, 2024 • 8 mins
The Houston Rockets have started to recapture the attention of Houston sports fandom following Wednesday's 111-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in the opener of a two-game set. The Rockets are off to their best start since the 2019-20 season, sitting at 8-4 and fifth in the Western Conference. By carrying over much of the same rotation as last year, the Rockets have built upon their chemistry and have found early-season success. While starters Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green have provided explosive play on both ends of the court, the Rockets have received a much-needed spark off the bench from Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, who each had 18 points in the win over the Clippers. Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of "The Matt Thomas Show with Ross" discuss the beginning of a possible resurgence from the Rockets and what needs to be done to further this progress.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And we say hello to Roger on seven Ony Roger
(00:02):
good after, good morning, Good.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Morning, Matt. I know this is weird, right so uh yeah, Ross,
you shut your horrors mouth when you're talking about rhythmic
rib sandwich, So no, it doesn't you suck. No, just
kidding you anyway. So I'm I'm really digging this tarrort
twins man. I you know, I'm starting to think that
(00:27):
we're gonna have to uh you know, it's got a
long season, small sample size. I'm just loving their energy though.
God off the bench, I don't I don't think they
come in waves. And the teams they just can't stop
it from coming, you know that they're just I know
they study it in the film, but they just can't
experience it. When these guys come at him, especially I Atari,
and it's like a it's like a whirling dervish with
(00:50):
a man. Thompson just just a ball of energy. Before
you know, when he was a rookie, it was just
like raw energy and he didn't really know, like a deer,
you know, running for the first time. Now, you know,
just a year removed from you know, from from a
season ago, and these guys are just man they're getting it.
They're getting it, and you could just tell that like
Udoka six the Dogs, you know, he's like, all right,
(01:13):
let's let's let's let's go, let's run, you know. And yeah,
Javari is struggling a bit, but I do like the
way handles himself on the court. He doesn't go too
high or too low. So that's a good thing, I think.
Uh So, you know with Shangoon, it's contagious. Now he's
actually playing deepest and I'm wondering because of these guys
(01:34):
are just you know, motivating them and that you know
they level up because Amari and and and and Tari
bring that level up in him. So that's all I
got to say. It's nice to see and long time coming.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Thank you. Roger Apprecia.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
There's there's a large amount of dormant Rocket basketball fans
in his community.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
I'm convinced of it.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Not that it's ever gonna overtake the Astros or take
the Texans, I get that, but I think there's been
a lot of people that have largely checked out because
of let's face it, four years of non playoffs.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
We'll do that for any go ask the Astros.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
And and Honestly, in this community, in this sports market
in which we live in, it's gonna take you get
into a championship level to get those people back.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Yeah, it's gonna. Yeah, that's what it took for the Astros.
They didn't.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
I mean the first time they drew in this era
three million fans is what last year yep. And they
won a World Series in seventeen. So it takes years
and years and years to rebuild back a fan base. Yep,
it just does, especially here in Houston.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
It's not like, hey, we'll see you as soon as
you get good again. It's we're gonna have to see
you be prolonged, have prolonged success. And I think the
getting to five hundred was one part of it last year.
I think the next national progression would be to try
to at least get the play in. Yes, I'm trying to. Look,
let me give you the next ten games. Rockets are
(02:56):
a real quick on this. You got the Clippers that
got on Friday, When at Chicago Saturday, Sunday, When at
Milwaukee Monday, when Indiana to Portland's.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Let's say they go they lose two of those? Why not?
Speaker 1 (03:13):
And then at Minnesota at Philadelphia home Oklahoma City, and
then a three game west road trip at Sacramento, at
Golden State, and at the LA Clippers. How about this,
Why don't we by the time the December eighth number
whatever number of that game number game, Okays, we really
have a serious assessment about where this team is.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Okay, we'll know a lot more.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Because the competition will improve a little bit. Although again
Portland sucks, Chicago's not very good. Philadelphia has been a
major disappointment this year. Milwaukee's been a major disappointment, but
those are also home games for them. Joel Embiid is
back playing at least a little bit for the seventy
six ers. Let's talk to Anthony and deer Park at
ten forty on the Matt Thomas Shows. Ross Anthony, good morning,
thanks for holding.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Hey, good morning guys. So I did have two points
and I have a question for y'all. So two things
that have excited me from last season to this season
through twelve games, Like em you do as a damn
good basketball coach. And I think the second thing that's
really exciting for me is that to me, it looks
(04:17):
like Jalen Green is taking that next step, like it
feels like this is Jalen Green's Rockets and that's really
exciting to me. My question is, do you, Matt, do
you think Ken Ross, do you think that Jabari Smith
Junior could benefit by going to the bench for a
little bit like a Men Thompson With the exception of
(04:39):
Jalen Green is playing the most minutes on the team,
so like, do you think that the Rockets and Jabari
Smith Junior could benefit from maybe starting a Men Thompson
for a while.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
We've We've talked about this a lot so far, Anthony,
and thanks for the phone call. There's partly this has
been at bron Don't fix it. Pardon me, also says
you need to get Jabbari out of this funk, and
you can do that by not having to rely on
him so much early in the game. But there's also
a part of me that says, if the Rockets are
really gonna take that next level jump and stay on
(05:16):
this winning clip of winning eight out of every twelve
games they play, you can't have somebody in their starting
lineup that's just gonna be a minus offensive player. I
don't it's it would if it was gonna be anybody,
I would say it would probably be more Tari Eason.
But I think they also like, as you said, Matt
his bench energy, and they like Jabari Smith Junior in
that starting lineup because for for what he can bring
(05:39):
defensively and guarding Biggs and his size and he's like,
I mean, he's he's six foot ten, he's bigger than
him in Thompson. He's bigger than uh than Tarry Easton.
They don't need him to knock down shots. I think
people are getting a little too fixated on that. Oh
my god, he only had five points. Yeah, they won
the game. They're they're gonna run the They're gonna run
the offense through Fred van Vliet, through Jalen Green and
throughout and Shingoon going. They don't need Jabari Smith Junior
(06:03):
to be dropping twenty every night.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
They want him to go out there guard one through five.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
They play him as a five and small lineups, and
they like what he does there and eventually his three
point shots will fall. I'm a big believer in that
because it's just you look at what his career sample
has been. It's much better than what it is. So
he's struggling right now for ten twelve games. It happens
in the NBA to to so many players every single year.
(06:29):
The three points will start, three pointers will start falling,
and then he's still gonna do everything else he brings
on the floor. And I don't think we're gonna be
talking about it as much. I would like it not
to be a key part of I mean, if you
gets something from him and moves along and does some
more things offensively and gets out of this slump, it'll
be even an additional bonus. I just don't want this
(06:50):
to be the reason why the Rockets are taking steps back.
I don't think if the Rockets all of a sudden
drop five of seven it's because a Jabari Smith is
shooting at thirty five percent.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
It won't be.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
It won't be because or because it'll be on Jalen
Green or Albert chin Green or Fred Vanvlied or I mean,
it's it's not gonna be like man Jabari Smith junior.
You know he got up those ten shots and for
the fourth quarter only made two of them. Right, That's
not the Rockets offense. That's not how it's built. And
I don't think necessarily has to be Jalen Green's team.
I mean the Rockets last night won the game despite
(07:21):
the fact that Jalen he did have five threes, but
he was seven to twenty one overall. He is he
was five or fourteen. Yeah, he's volume. He's not about
it's not about overlay accurate. Now does he comes from
with some big shots down the stretch and have some
high flying dunks and whatnot and key three pointers.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
He's done that.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
I mean, he hasn't played party this year. But it's
not a This rocket team and I mentioned this to
em yesterday before the game. This rocket team, folks, is
winning by shooting about forty three percent from the floor.
That to me is not sustainable unless you continue to
have guys that are fighting for offensive rebounds, that take
(07:58):
the ball away, that get points off turnovers. And that's
been the recipe for what this team has been. Its
defensive work has been significantly better this year. Their top
five and deep in points allowed so far this year.
They are getting lots of second chance points opportunities. In fact,
they had twenty four second chance points. When you start
losing to rebounding battle their number one and offensive rebound,
number one rebounding in the league. If those numbers continue,
(08:21):
you can live with forty three percent. Yeah, but you
are looking for at some point somebody from the perimeter
to start heating up. And yet the offensive rebounding thing
that's by design we had IMANDOCA on this show. Says
his goal is for this team to be number one
in the league in offensive rebounding
And we say hello to Roger on seven Ony Roger
(00:02):
good after, good morning, Good.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Morning, Matt. I know this is weird, right so uh yeah, Ross,
you shut your horrors mouth when you're talking about rhythmic
rib sandwich, So no, it doesn't you suck. No, just
kidding you anyway. So I'm I'm really digging this tarrort
twins man. I you know, I'm starting to think that
(00:27):
we're gonna have to uh you know, it's got a
long season, small sample size. I'm just loving their energy though.
God off the bench, I don't I don't think they
come in waves. And the teams they just can't stop
it from coming, you know that they're just I know
they study it in the film, but they just can't
experience it. When these guys come at him, especially I Atari,
and it's like a it's like a whirling dervish with
(00:50):
a man. Thompson just just a ball of energy. Before
you know, when he was a rookie, it was just
like raw energy and he didn't really know, like a deer,
you know, running for the first time. Now, you know,
just a year removed from you know, from from a
season ago, and these guys are just man they're getting it.
They're getting it, and you could just tell that like
Udoka six the Dogs, you know, he's like, all right,
(01:13):
let's let's let's let's go, let's run, you know. And yeah,
Javari is struggling a bit, but I do like the
way handles himself on the court. He doesn't go too
high or too low. So that's a good thing, I think.
Uh So, you know with Shangoon, it's contagious. Now he's
actually playing deepest and I'm wondering because of these guys
(01:34):
are just you know, motivating them and that you know
they level up because Amari and and and and Tari
bring that level up in him. So that's all I
got to say. It's nice to see and long time coming.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Thank you. Roger Apprecia.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
There's there's a large amount of dormant Rocket basketball fans
in his community.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
I'm convinced of it.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Not that it's ever gonna overtake the Astros or take
the Texans, I get that, but I think there's been
a lot of people that have largely checked out because
of let's face it, four years of non playoffs.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
We'll do that for any go ask the Astros.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
And and Honestly, in this community, in this sports market
in which we live in, it's gonna take you get
into a championship level to get those people back.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Yeah, it's gonna. Yeah, that's what it took for the Astros.
They didn't.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
I mean the first time they drew in this era
three million fans is what last year yep. And they
won a World Series in seventeen. So it takes years
and years and years to rebuild back a fan base. Yep,
it just does, especially here in Houston.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
It's not like, hey, we'll see you as soon as
you get good again. It's we're gonna have to see
you be prolonged, have prolonged success. And I think the
getting to five hundred was one part of it last year.
I think the next national progression would be to try
to at least get the play in. Yes, I'm trying to. Look,
let me give you the next ten games. Rockets are
(02:56):
a real quick on this. You got the Clippers that
got on Friday, When at Chicago Saturday, Sunday, When at
Milwaukee Monday, when Indiana to Portland's.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Let's say they go they lose two of those? Why not?
Speaker 1 (03:13):
And then at Minnesota at Philadelphia home Oklahoma City, and
then a three game west road trip at Sacramento, at
Golden State, and at the LA Clippers. How about this,
Why don't we by the time the December eighth number
whatever number of that game number game, Okays, we really
have a serious assessment about where this team is.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Okay, we'll know a lot more.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Because the competition will improve a little bit. Although again
Portland sucks, Chicago's not very good. Philadelphia has been a
major disappointment this year. Milwaukee's been a major disappointment, but
those are also home games for them. Joel Embiid is
back playing at least a little bit for the seventy
six ers. Let's talk to Anthony and deer Park at
ten forty on the Matt Thomas Shows. Ross Anthony, good morning,
thanks for holding.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Hey, good morning guys. So I did have two points
and I have a question for y'all. So two things
that have excited me from last season to this season
through twelve games, Like em you do as a damn
good basketball coach. And I think the second thing that's
really exciting for me is that to me, it looks
(04:17):
like Jalen Green is taking that next step, like it
feels like this is Jalen Green's Rockets and that's really
exciting to me. My question is, do you, Matt, do
you think Ken Ross, do you think that Jabari Smith
Junior could benefit by going to the bench for a
little bit like a Men Thompson With the exception of
(04:39):
Jalen Green is playing the most minutes on the team,
so like, do you think that the Rockets and Jabari
Smith Junior could benefit from maybe starting a Men Thompson
for a while.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
We've We've talked about this a lot so far, Anthony,
and thanks for the phone call. There's partly this has
been at bron Don't fix it. Pardon me, also says
you need to get Jabbari out of this funk, and
you can do that by not having to rely on
him so much early in the game. But there's also
a part of me that says, if the Rockets are
really gonna take that next level jump and stay on
(05:16):
this winning clip of winning eight out of every twelve
games they play, you can't have somebody in their starting
lineup that's just gonna be a minus offensive player. I
don't it's it would if it was gonna be anybody,
I would say it would probably be more Tari Eason.
But I think they also like, as you said, Matt
his bench energy, and they like Jabari Smith Junior in
that starting lineup because for for what he can bring
(05:39):
defensively and guarding Biggs and his size and he's like,
I mean, he's he's six foot ten, he's bigger than
him in Thompson. He's bigger than uh than Tarry Easton.
They don't need him to knock down shots. I think
people are getting a little too fixated on that. Oh
my god, he only had five points. Yeah, they won
the game. They're they're gonna run the They're gonna run
the offense through Fred van Vliet, through Jalen Green and
throughout and Shingoon going. They don't need Jabari Smith Junior
(06:03):
to be dropping twenty every night.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
They want him to go out there guard one through five.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
They play him as a five and small lineups, and
they like what he does there and eventually his three
point shots will fall. I'm a big believer in that
because it's just you look at what his career sample
has been. It's much better than what it is. So
he's struggling right now for ten twelve games. It happens
in the NBA to to so many players every single year.
(06:29):
The three points will start, three pointers will start falling,
and then he's still gonna do everything else he brings
on the floor. And I don't think we're gonna be
talking about it as much. I would like it not
to be a key part of I mean, if you
gets something from him and moves along and does some
more things offensively and gets out of this slump, it'll
be even an additional bonus. I just don't want this
(06:50):
to be the reason why the Rockets are taking steps back.
I don't think if the Rockets all of a sudden
drop five of seven it's because a Jabari Smith is
shooting at thirty five percent.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
It won't be.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
It won't be because or because it'll be on Jalen
Green or Albert chin Green or Fred Vanvlied or I mean,
it's it's not gonna be like man Jabari Smith junior.
You know he got up those ten shots and for
the fourth quarter only made two of them. Right, That's
not the Rockets offense. That's not how it's built. And
I don't think necessarily has to be Jalen Green's team.
I mean the Rockets last night won the game despite
(07:21):
the fact that Jalen he did have five threes, but
he was seven to twenty one overall. He is he
was five or fourteen. Yeah, he's volume. He's not about
it's not about overlay accurate. Now does he comes from
with some big shots down the stretch and have some
high flying dunks and whatnot and key three pointers.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
He's done that.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
I mean, he hasn't played party this year. But it's
not a This rocket team and I mentioned this to
em yesterday before the game. This rocket team, folks, is
winning by shooting about forty three percent from the floor.
That to me is not sustainable unless you continue to
have guys that are fighting for offensive rebounds, that take
(07:58):
the ball away, that get points off turnovers. And that's
been the recipe for what this team has been. Its
defensive work has been significantly better this year. Their top
five and deep in points allowed so far this year.
They are getting lots of second chance points opportunities. In fact,
they had twenty four second chance points. When you start
losing to rebounding battle their number one and offensive rebound,
number one rebounding in the league. If those numbers continue,
(08:21):
you can live with forty three percent. Yeah, but you
are looking for at some point somebody from the perimeter
to start heating up. And yet the offensive rebounding thing
that's by design we had IMANDOCA on this show. Says
his goal is for this team to be number one
in the league in offensive rebounding
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