Draymond Green-Alperen Şengün chess match could decide Warriors-Rockets series

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There’s typically a specific moment or act that revs up the energy and testiness of any particular NBA game.

When the Houston Rockets visited the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco earlier this month, it happened when Draymond Green cranked up his physicality against Alperen Şengün before an inbound late in the second quarter.

While the ball was still in official Ben Taylor’s hands, Green put a forearm in Şengün’s chest and started grappling for positioning. Şengün whacked it away and looked at the referee. Green did it again. Taylor warned him to stop.

“Call it then!” Green yelled at Taylor while pressing into Şengün’s chest and neck area again.

Taylor whistled Green for a technical foul and received a loud “thank you!” from Green on his way to the scorer’s table. Green didn’t care about the bonus free throw he gave Houston. This was a tactic to wake up his slumbering teammates, an attempt to spook the younger Rockets and gain better positioning against Şengün, one of the league’s best post-up threats.

“I already give up six inches and 50 pounds,” Green said postgame.

After the brief stoppage, the Rockets were again inbounding under the basket. Green was defending Şengün. Fred VanVleet lobbed it over the top to Şengün, who was being guarded by Green about 17 feet from the basket.

The other three Rockets were spread on the opposite side of the floor. This was a design to get Şengün an isolated post-up against a desirable matchup. So VanVleet sprinted right over for a screen right after the inbound. He set it well, forcing Brandin Podziemski, his man, to switch onto Şengün and pull Green away from the action.

Here’s what followed:

Şengün smartly attacks Podziemski with a righty baseline spin away from Green’s help, powering into the lane against a group of helpside defenders who aren’t true rim protectors. Gary Payton II tries, but Şengün goes right through him for a strong and-1 layup, allowing him to roar in Green’s direction and pump up his team because of his emphatic answer to Green’s toughness test.

So much about this collective sequence is at the heart of this upcoming first-round series between the Warriors and Rockets, speaking to both the strategic and emotional side of what’ll define the matchup.

Şengün is the best offensive player on the Rockets and many would argue their best overall player. He was their lone All-Star this season and probably the only player on the conference’s No. 2-seeded team who will receive All-NBA votes. He is averaging 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists. If he doesn’t thrive in this series, it’s difficult to imagine Houston scoring enough points to survive.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka knows that. It’s part of why he will loudly back Şengün and whoever else is being tested by chirping at Green, Stephen Curry and whoever else to breathe confidence into his players.

Udoka also knows who Green is on the defensive end. He’s the emotional engine, but also the interior backbone, and is still considered one of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year front-runners in his 13th NBA season. There will be times in this series that Şengün and Green get locked in a one-on-one clash, and it’ll be basketball theater, especially in clutch moments that could decide the series.

But Udoka also knows it’s in his and Şengün’s best interest to get Şengün away from a matchup with Green whenever possible. You saw it in the previous clip when Podziemski was forced to switch, and then Şengün drove away from Green.

It’s also shown during this early fourth-quarter possession in that same game. Udoka has his double-big lineup on the floor, using both Şengün and Steven Adams, a duo that has been dominant in its brief pockets together (including a historic rebound rate). The Warriors are going small against it.

Because of that, Green is on Adams, and Houston can get a quick switch on top, moving Jimmy Butler off of Şengün and Podziemski onto him. It’s clear who Udoka prefers to attack. Şengün goes right through Podziemski into the floater range and pours in a soft lefty hook. Green shades over like he wants to help, but knows he can’t overcommit and ignore Adams, one of the league’s best offensive rebounders.

Green’s ability to stick on Şengün or figure out ways to help against mismatches is a pivot point of the series. If they can limit Şengün’s effectiveness and impact on the offensive end, Udoka will have to make difficult decisions when it comes to his lineup choices.

Şengün was a plus-11 in this Rockets win because he was productive in his 33 minutes: 19 points, 14 rebounds, four assists. But that hasn’t often been the case against the Warriors, which have historically dominated Houston in Şengün’s 13 career games against them. The Rockets are 2-11, and Şengün is a cumulative minus-63.

That includes two separate games this season where a lineup that included Şengün, with the Warriors relentlessly attacking him in space, dug the Rockets in a deep hole. Udoka stuck with a smaller, faster, more versatile defensive lineup to drag Houston back into the game. The Rockets came back from 24 down in one home game due to Tari Eason and Amen Thompson providing lots of energy. Şengün was limited to 21 minutes and was a minus-7 in an overtime loss.

Şengün has certainly improved on the defensive end. Udoka demands it, or he will pull him from a game.

Şengün has quick hands and a good basketball brain, but physical limitations are physical limitations. Şengün isn’t the quickest at getting to the perimeter or the best leaper, so the Warriors won’t be worried about him protecting the rim. They will attack him with split-cut action, dribble handoffs and Curry relocations when he’s anywhere in the vicinity.

Here is an example from one of Butler’s first games with the Warriors. Thompson is on Curry at the top. Butler is operating against Jalen Green on the other wing. Şengün is sagged off Green with two feet in the paint, as expected.

Butler, Green and Curry recognize it. So they execute a simple action that so often burns centers. Butler zings it to Green on the wing. He sets a wipeout screen on Thompson on the left wing while simultaneously pitching it to Curry, who is curling off his right shoulder into an open 3 because Şengün didn’t react in time to get out to the perimeter and run Curry off the line.

Here’s another example with Gui Santos and Kevon Looney in some split-cut action. Şengün’s half-hearted stunt allows Curry to curl free to the corner and puts the Rockets in a scramble, leading to an and-1 Curry 3.

Here’s a different version of a similar problem for the Rockets. Butler attacks Şengün on the drive after a switch, which he’ll presumably do a ton in this series, considering the type of force he has shown at the rim against centers in the last two games. But he drives to pass on this particular possession. Curry cuts and makes a layup, unbothered by Şengün’s non-contest.

Şengün generates a ton of problems for the Warriors to contain on the defensive end. He also provides a target for the Warriors to attack against an otherwise stout Rockets defense.

That’s what makes the chess match between Şengün, Green, Curry, Udoka and Steve Kerr such a vital part of this first-round series.

(Photo: Alex Slitz / Getty Images) 

This news was originally published on this post .

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