After months of saying that I would attend my first Rockets’ game, I finally put some time to the side to make it happen. Now of course the league-worst Rockets got spanked, but on the bright side, they’re not my team! That in turn made for a stressless viewing. I would say the overall experience was a success and it allowed me to watch two teams full of youth very much on the opposite side of the spectrum. Here are some of the things that stuck out most to me during the game:
1. Ja Morant was inactive 😦
The whole point of choosing this game was because I told myself I need to see Ja live. That didn’t happen and it’s my fault. Prior engagements made it infeasible to attend the game when Memphis visited a few weeks ago. I purchased these tickets the night before Sunday’s game while I neglecting to check if Morant was going to be playing (Hint: he wasn’t). In fact, this isn’t even the first time I’ve had a ticket purchase go awry in recent memory (I accidentally bought wheelchair row tickets for when the Lakers came in town last week).
2. The Grizzlies have a DEEP roster
Yes, I knew they have plenty of guys who are capable of getting valuable minutes on every other team. I guess it was just a different experience seeing it live and especially without the guy (Morant) who theoretically powers their engine. There is about 10-12 guys on the team that can make the argument that they deserve a spot in the rotation so it will be interesting to see who gets cut out once they get deeper into the playoffs. Rotations usually dip to 8-9 so I’d think the most likely casualties will be John Konchar and talented rookie, Ziaire Williams.
3. Steven Adams is apparently a large human being
I knew he was a ginormous person. The people sitting behind me didn’t. I know they didn’t because that’s all they could talk about for the entire game. Between that and them thinking he was a 15 year vet and closing in on 40 years old (he’s only 28 mind you), I’m not sure which “fact of the day” was more entertaining.
4. Tyus Jones is an awesome backup PG
Listen here, I’ve always been a Tyus fan. I liked him at Duke and at the very least you knew you could rely on him to take care of the ball. His stint in Minnesota didn’t go how I envisioned, but he’s stepped into a great role here in Memphis while on a good contract. He’s never played more than 23mpg or started more than 23 games, but he’s led the league in AST/TO ratio for three years running. He’s the perfect guy for running a competent offense and there’s so many teams that could use his service.
5. Kenyon Martin Jr. can jump like his pops
KJ had at least 3 dunks the other day that made me audibly gasp. If there was any doubt about where he got that from it’s been settled. And just for some variety, he mixed in a 3/4 night from behind the arc.
6. Alperen Sengun is FUN
There was a point in the third quarter where if you blinked, like really quickly, you would’ve thought you were watching baby Jokic out there. He whipped around at least 3-4 flashy passes right into the pocket of the receiver that got “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crowd. Some “sneaky” and “deceptive” dunks were mixed in as he went on a personal run that makes the “Turkish Delight” a player to keep an eye on.
7. KPJ appeared to be pouty
I get that they’re a young team but some of the pouting was just ridiculous. This team very much has an AAU vibe to them in that it’s a bunch of talented guys out there gunning. For as talented as Kevin Porter Jr. is, there’s no excuse for him to not get back on defense. Walking back with your head down isn’t going to help you win and I think he does actually care about winning. Veteran leadership was missing with the likes of Eric Gordon being out, not to mention the exiled John Wall.
8. Jalen Green has the potential to do more
Another reason I made sure I got out to at least one game this season was to see this guy. He didn’t have a great game by any stretch, but I could see the athletic prowess even in his missed dunks. I have no doubt that he’ll be a perennial high-volume scorer in this league and I think he’s trending towards avoiding the streaky shooter label as his percentages were climbing this month prior to this game. I think it’s obvious that his true test will be if he can contribute in other facets of the game, such as Cade Cunningham, and make less people question if the Rockets should have taken Evan Mobley instead. The effort level is there so once he’s a little more seasoned, hopefully the maturation in decision-making will show.
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