You haven’t explained how the Rockets could improve from 55/39/74, with a TS 65.7% with an offensive rating of 136.3.

I assume you don’t know this, but the best offensive team in the league (Pacers) average a true shooting of TS 61.3% with an offensive rating of 122.5. The Rockets’ offense today completely blows away the offensive efficiency of the best offensive team in the league.

You likely don’t understand this because Jalen’s role was not to dominate shots, but to facilitate, which is why he has 9 assists. Passing when he should, and shooting when he shoot, is how the Rockets played one of their best offensive games ever despite the lost. It doesn’t matter who makes the shot as long as someone makes it.

The issue is literally entirely on defense. If the Rockets were even half as good on defense as they usually were, they could have taken this game.

It’s not Rocket science, honestly, but let me know if you need help understanding what TS% or offensive rating is. Happy to explain.

Maybe he should play like that the whole game…

The Rockets shot 55/39/74 in the game.

Do you think Green, who finished with 26/6/9 on TS 89% did not provide enough offense?

11 point deficit going into the 4th quarter = out of reach.

Just to do the math for you, this is how the Rockets can make it a 5 point game in less than 1 minute.

1. Rockets hit a 3, use up 15 seconds of the shot clock.
2. Nuggets miss a wide open 3, use up 15 seconds of the shot clock.
3. Rockets hit a transition 3, use up 5 seconds in the shot clock.

That’s a 6-0 run in only 35 seconds. Now, a 11 point lead is only a 5 point lead with 10+ minutes to go.

He has a heliocentric playstyle, which is basically the Doncic/Harden style of ball dominant game.

However, there are two clear separations, and that is foul drawing and contested 3 PT shooting. Harden/Doncic are not particularly athletic, but they are strong physical players that consistently draw fouls. They are also really really good at hitting contested 3s, which basically forces defenders to get as close to them as possible, giving them an easy blow by (and they usually ram into their defenders to draw fouls as well when they get a step on their defenders).

I don’t know if Cade will ever develop the ability to hit contested 3s consistently, but if he can’t draw fouls like them then he cannot be played as a heliocentric offensive player. The foul drawing is how Harden/Doncic scores “cheap points”.

Players of different archetypes all have easy ways to score “cheap points”. Skilled big men get easy buckets when they roll to baskets, fast, athletic players can get easy points via off-ball movement or transition buckets (outrunning or jumping over everyone). The Harden/Doncic (Trae Young is on this list as well) archetype can draw fouls.

However, what is Cade’s source of easy points? If the defense improves and more turnovers are created, the ball is going to Ivey or Ausar for the transition play. Is Cade good off the ball? He doesn’t move around nearly enough to get himself a rhythm catch and shoot. He also isn’t fast enough to be a threatening cutter, nor is he someone you expect to blow by his defenders with ease.

So the issue is if he doesn’t have a way to score easy points, he also doesn’t have easy ways to get himself going. A lot of players in this league can start 0-5, but finish 8-15 because they get a few easy buckets which basically puts them back into rhythm. If Cade starts 0-5, what can be done to get him a few cheap points?

Unless this is solved, I cannot see him as a primary offensive option.

13/26 and 3 pt: 3/13. Closest fg taken is by brooks with 14

I mean, he ended the night on 34 points and TS 60.3%.

Regardless of his inconsistency, you literally cannot use his FGA against him this game. An NBA team that has TS 60.3% would be the highest TS% in the league.