Rockets prince Jalen Green also had a breakout in January last season, as he exploded against the Hornets on the road with 36 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, shooting 12-of-20 from the field with a plus/minus of +15. In that game, Amen scored 13 points, 6 boards, 8 assists and 2 steals, and Whitmore also scored 24 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists.
On the Hornets' side, LaMelo Ball scored just 15 points, shooting 6-of-16 from the field and having a plus/minus of -25. In the end, the Hornets lost by 34 points.
去年休赛期美媒《Clutch Points》建议火箭用杰伦-格林加多个选秀权去换回拉梅洛-鲍尔。
Jalen Green was involved in trade rumors last season, though he ended up staying with the Rockets.
This offseason, Clutch Points said that Hornets management is considering a trade to send Ball, who played only 22 games last season due to injury and got into trouble off the court.
"Clutch Points" posted a collection of unsafe behaviors such as running red lights while driving in a car. There have also been accusations that Bauer broke a young fan's foot after running over his car.
According to Clutch Points, Van Jordan could leave next summer and the Rockets need a starter-level point guard. The Hornets may be selling Ball to the Rockets. The Rockets' Amen and Shepard are potential new stars that the Hornets want.
It's no surprise that the Hornets have a crush on Amen and Shepard.
The 2023 Hornets have a pick, and they invited Amen to come to the tryout. Although Amen has good physical fitness, passing vision and defense, he has no projection. In the end, the Hornets chose Brandon Miller.
Miller, who is 2.06 meters tall and is known as the younger version of Paul George, averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game last season, making 2.5 three-pointers while shooting 44% from the field and 37.3% from three-point range.
Amen averaged 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game last season while shooting 53.6 percent from the field and 13.8 percent from three-point range. Amen and Miller can complement each other and meet the Hornets' requirements.
In 2024, the Hornets invited Shepard to a tryout. Shepard won over the Hornets management with an accurate shot and an easy dunk during the tryout. The problem is that the Hornets only have the No. 6 pick, and Shepard will have a hard time falling into that position. The Hornets wanted to trade up, but the Rockets decided not to sell the No. 3 pick, and Stone was drawn to Shepard and wanted to bring him back to Houston.
The Hornets drafted Ball that year to train him to be a master of control like Paul. It's a pity that Ball only has good stats, but he doesn't have the ability to lead the team. Shepard isn't as talented as Ball, but he has a high ball IQ and can string teams to play the right basketball, reminiscent of Paul. Shepard made the general manager of the Hornets greedy.
The Hornet's idea is good, but Rockets general manager Stone isn't stupid. Houston media "spacecityscoop" pointed out that the Rockets do not need a data brush like Ball, Shepard can succeed Van Jordan, and Amen has a high ceiling and has a chance to become a cornerstone player.
ESPN Celebrity Tim McMahon, who once broke the news that the Rockets were mulling a trade for a star, spoke about Ball on the show late last month. He said: "I don't know if Ball can help the team win, if he can be the heart of a winning team, he can fill the stat column, but the overall efficiency is low and the defense is terrible. I don't see that he has winning as a priority.
Ball has signed an early contract extension with the Hornets, and the five-year contract could reach up to $260 million. It's useless for the wasp to regret it now, and the path he chose will be finished on his knees.
Rockets general manager Stone could have re-signed Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun early, but he didn't. He doesn't think Green and Sengun are worth the top salary at the moment, and he wants to think about it again.