KiwiMatt wrote: ↑Fri Jan 16, 2026 11:46 pm
Julius with one of his no effort defensive games.
And I still don’t understand why this teams fan base and commentators are so high on Bones Hyland. When his shot isn’t falling (which is more often than not) he offers little else.
On to tomorrow night vs the Spurs.
Because he is a off the bench role player making the minimum who has scored and played the PG position in his role at a high level this year
Abe's I fell asleep in the 3rd quarter and woke up a long time later and it was still the 3rd quarter DVR Review:
- Great stuff early. Defense leading to runouts and offensive opportunities. Playing with good pace, energy and confidence on both ends.
- Rough 1st stint for Bones. He can't get past his defender, so the ball stagnates. (A lack of explosion toward the rim seems to be Reed Sheppard's struggle, too. Looks like a heckuva shooter though.)
- Another great defensive possession leads to a Reid three.
- The Rockets sure need Kevin Durant in this one. Only down 2 at the half... but I feel it would be a 20 point game without Durant. So smooth on offense. And he used his length to stymie the Wolves at times on defense.
- I remember talking about the bad Towns whistle... but damn... Rudy Gobert really does get beat up out there sometimes. That play with Durant was silly.
- A lot of free throws. I feel like I know the front row fans... including the young couple where the guy is really really hoping to get laid... pretty well by now.
- Gobert leaves and Sengun dominates Reid.
- Oh, what do we have here? Beringer takes the Sengun assignment and stops him. Sengun moved his pivot foot FOUR times, was called for a travel, and complained loudly about it. LOL. FOUR TIMES!!!!!
- It's been an offensive struggle in the 2nd half. Resorting to 1-on-1 without the team's best iso player. Bad idea.
- Wolves somehow making enough shots to stay ahead, but something will have to change. The Rockets are better right now.
- Durant's face in the background after Gobert's second airball... Funny stuff.
- Things didn't get better for Hyland. Not much better from Conley either.
- The Wolves were 3rd worst in the league on free throws... then went 20 - 35. I feel that they're at around 70% over the past month. It's been really bad.
Q-is-here wrote: ↑Fri Jan 16, 2026 11:23 pm
And this is where Julius falls short. At some point you can't just keep hitting your head against a brick wall in the paint. We missed Ant tonight.
He definitely was out of his comfort zone. He had his guy beat many times but kept hesitating to pull the trigger. Houston plays a similar pinch, poke, grab, swipe and scratch that OKC plays with. When Julius isnt decisive, that will get him in trouble.
My thought on him is this, he's good enough on offense for most teams, but facing a great defense he gets a bit cooked. Yes I know he scored a bunch, but he also fell flat once Houston locked in in the 4th. Same thing in the playoffs last year, he was dominating the first two series, but then face a great defense and he's bad turning it over and then his defense sucks too. He gets down and doesn't play good defense once he can't score.
It's the thing thats most concerning for me, is can he help us win when it matters most (against elite defenses)?
Think about other elite offensive players in their prime. They don't nearly drop off as much against elite defenses. Luka, Steph, LeBron, Durant, Joker, etc...
I know I'm much higher on Mike than almost anyone else here, and he didn't shoot well tonight, but the difference between him and Bones (admittedly on a bad night...I still like what he brings most nights) at both ends of the court was palpable. Our offense ran smoothly when Mike was in there...he pushed the pace, didn't let his defender keep him from initiating, and made the right pass to get the play started. In contrast, it seemed like it took Bones way too long to initiate. But the difference on defense was more extreme. Both are undersized but active out there, but Mike's activity always makes sense to me while Bones's seems chaotic. Mike was able to contain Sheppard while Bones gave him far too many good looks. We won the minutes Mike was running the point by 8 points and lost the Bones minutes by 11, a 19 point swing...ball game. I thought Finchy's leash on Bones was too long tonight.
Such an odd game for Ju. He had that look in his eye that nobody on Houston could stop him, and I can't complain about 39 points on 25 shots. But while Ant has been terrific in clutch time this season, Ju's clutch time turnovers had as much to do with the loss as the bad Bones minutes. I take issue though with some comments in this thread that his defense was bad tonight. I though he brought the same energy tonight as he did against the Bucks, and was quite effective. Wasn't he on Smith Jr. most of the night? I thought he was. And holding a 15 PPG scorer to just 9 points on 3 for 12 shooting is a good defensive night.
After a really fun first half, that 3 hour third quarter took all the fun out of the game. And it felt like a loss to me as soon as Houston went on that 8 point run early on the 4th...should have gone to bed then. But as I said earlier in this thread, I don't feel bad about this loss. There are going to be nights when the other team wants it more than us, and the Rockets were desperate not to lose 2 consecutive games on their home court. Good for them. But my takeaway is that we are a better team than them, and I haven't felt that a lot this season.
I think it was Allen Iverson that said something like "We talkin' 'bout free throws? Not a three pointer, not a 3, not the shot that I go out there and die for!".
FNG wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 9:13 am
I know I'm much higher on Mike than almost anyone else here, and he didn't shoot well tonight, but the difference between him and Bones (admittedly on a bad night...I still like what he brings most nights) at both ends of the court was palpable. Our offense ran smoothly when Mike was in there...he pushed the pace, didn't let his defender keep him from initiating, and made the right pass to get the play started. In contrast, it seemed like it took Bones way too long to initiate. But the difference on defense was more extreme. Both are undersized but active out there, but Mike's activity always makes sense to me while Bones's seems chaotic. Mike was able to contain Sheppard while Bones gave him far too many good looks. We won the minutes Mike was running the point by 8 points and lost the Bones minutes by 11, a 19 point swing...ball game. I thought Finchy's leash on Bones was too long tonight.
Such an odd game for Ju. He had that look in his eye that nobody on Houston could stop him, and I can't complain about 39 points on 25 shots. But while Ant has been terrific in clutch time this season, Ju's clutch time turnovers had as much to do with the loss as the bad Bones minutes. I take issue though with some comments in this thread that his defense was bad tonight. I though he brought the same energy tonight as he did against the Bucks, and was quite effective. Wasn't he on Smith Jr. most of the night? I thought he was. And holding a 15 PPG scorer to just 9 points on 3 for 12 shooting is a good defensive night.
After a really fun first half, that 3 hour third quarter took all the fun out of the game. And it felt like a loss to me as soon as Houston went on that 8 point run early on the 4th...should have gone to bed then. But as I said earlier in this thread, I don't feel bad about this loss. There are going to be nights when the other team wants it more than us, and the Rockets were desperate not to lose 2 consecutive games on their home court. Good for them. But my takeaway is that we are a better team than them, and I haven't felt that a lot this season.
I think specifically when he turns it over/starts turning it over is when his defense sucks. It looks like his feet get stuck in mud as the other team pushes in transition leading to easy points. His energy goes down. He'd be better off getting angry and using that, versus upset and sad. His bad turnovers seem to come when he ISOs for 8-10 seconds too, the other players feet are stagnant too, probably causing them to not be 100% focused and ready for a turnover and transition.
Now saying that, Ju has been a solid positive and the KAT trade was successful. My only issue is against the elite physical defenses where his game doesn't translate well. When they match his physicality he's got nothing.
FNG wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 9:13 am
I know I'm much higher on Mike than almost anyone else here, and he didn't shoot well tonight, but the difference between him and Bones (admittedly on a bad night...I still like what he brings most nights) at both ends of the court was palpable. Our offense ran smoothly when Mike was in there...he pushed the pace, didn't let his defender keep him from initiating, and made the right pass to get the play started. In contrast, it seemed like it took Bones way too long to initiate. But the difference on defense was more extreme. Both are undersized but active out there, but Mike's activity always makes sense to me while Bones's seems chaotic. Mike was able to contain Sheppard while Bones gave him far too many good looks. We won the minutes Mike was running the point by 8 points and lost the Bones minutes by 11, a 19 point swing...ball game. I thought Finchy's leash on Bones was too long tonight.
Such an odd game for Ju. He had that look in his eye that nobody on Houston could stop him, and I can't complain about 39 points on 25 shots. But while Ant has been terrific in clutch time this season, Ju's clutch time turnovers had as much to do with the loss as the bad Bones minutes. I take issue though with some comments in this thread that his defense was bad tonight. I though he brought the same energy tonight as he did against the Bucks, and was quite effective. Wasn't he on Smith Jr. most of the night? I thought he was. And holding a 15 PPG scorer to just 9 points on 3 for 12 shooting is a good defensive night.
After a really fun first half, that 3 hour third quarter took all the fun out of the game. And it felt like a loss to me as soon as Houston went on that 8 point run early on the 4th...should have gone to bed then. But as I said earlier in this thread, I don't feel bad about this loss. There are going to be nights when the other team wants it more than us, and the Rockets were desperate not to lose 2 consecutive games on their home court. Good for them. But my takeaway is that we are a better team than them, and I haven't felt that a lot this season.
I think specifically when he turns it over/starts turning it over is when his defense sucks. It looks like his feet get stuck in mud as the other team pushes in transition leading to easy points. His energy goes down. He'd be better off getting angry and using that, versus upset and sad. His bad turnovers seem to come when he ISOs for 8-10 seconds too, the other players feet are stagnant too, probably causing them to not be 100% focused and ready for a turnover and transition.
Now saying that, Ju has been a solid positive and the KAT trade was successful. My only issue is against the elite physical defenses where his game doesn't translate well. When they match his physicality he's got nothing.
I think what happens is he gets bogged down in the paint trying to get to his left hand and it makes him vulnerable to turnovers and last-second grenades passed to a team mate with the shot clock winding down. Like you said, it's against better defenders (like JJJ of Memphis) or defenses like Houston and OKC.
I have a strong feeling we'll be talking about Julius again in the offseason as a trade asset. Finch has absolutely maximized him on this squad and I have no complaints after being really skeptical of him at first. I want to see how the playoffs go because at this point regular season performance needs to become subordinate to post-season performance.
Besides Ant becoming Jokic, SGA, or Giannis (doubtful), what can the team do to further maximize its chances of reaching the Finals? Can Julius's salary slot lead to a player or players that better compliment the rest of the group? I'm not sure, but I think it's something we'll be talking about again come June.
FNG wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 9:13 am
I know I'm much higher on Mike than almost anyone else here, and he didn't shoot well tonight, but the difference between him and Bones (admittedly on a bad night...I still like what he brings most nights) at both ends of the court was palpable. Our offense ran smoothly when Mike was in there...he pushed the pace, didn't let his defender keep him from initiating, and made the right pass to get the play started. In contrast, it seemed like it took Bones way too long to initiate. But the difference on defense was more extreme. Both are undersized but active out there, but Mike's activity always makes sense to me while Bones's seems chaotic. Mike was able to contain Sheppard while Bones gave him far too many good looks. We won the minutes Mike was running the point by 8 points and lost the Bones minutes by 11, a 19 point swing...ball game. I thought Finchy's leash on Bones was too long tonight.
Such an odd game for Ju. He had that look in his eye that nobody on Houston could stop him, and I can't complain about 39 points on 25 shots. But while Ant has been terrific in clutch time this season, Ju's clutch time turnovers had as much to do with the loss as the bad Bones minutes. I take issue though with some comments in this thread that his defense was bad tonight. I though he brought the same energy tonight as he did against the Bucks, and was quite effective. Wasn't he on Smith Jr. most of the night? I thought he was. And holding a 15 PPG scorer to just 9 points on 3 for 12 shooting is a good defensive night.
After a really fun first half, that 3 hour third quarter took all the fun out of the game. And it felt like a loss to me as soon as Houston went on that 8 point run early on the 4th...should have gone to bed then. But as I said earlier in this thread, I don't feel bad about this loss. There are going to be nights when the other team wants it more than us, and the Rockets were desperate not to lose 2 consecutive games on their home court. Good for them. But my takeaway is that we are a better team than them, and I haven't felt that a lot this season.
I think specifically when he turns it over/starts turning it over is when his defense sucks. It looks like his feet get stuck in mud as the other team pushes in transition leading to easy points. His energy goes down. He'd be better off getting angry and using that, versus upset and sad. His bad turnovers seem to come when he ISOs for 8-10 seconds too, the other players feet are stagnant too, probably causing them to not be 100% focused and ready for a turnover and transition.
Now saying that, Ju has been a solid positive and the KAT trade was successful. My only issue is against the elite physical defenses where his game doesn't translate well. When they match his physicality he's got nothing.
I think what happens is he gets bogged down in the paint trying to get to his left hand and it makes him vulnerable to turnovers and last-second grenades passed to a team mate with the shot clock winding down. Like you said, it's against better defenders (like JJJ of Memphis) or defenses like Houston and OKC.
I have a strong feeling we'll be talking about Julius again in the offseason as a trade asset. Finch has absolutely maximized him on this squad and I have no complaints after being really skeptical of him at first. I want to see how the playoffs go because at this point regular season performance needs to become subordinate to post-season performance.
Besides Ant becoming Jokic, SGA, or Giannis (doubtful), what can the team do to further maximize its chances of reaching the Finals? Can Julius's salary slot lead to a player or players that better compliment the rest of the group? I'm not sure, but I think it's something we'll be talking about again come June.
Right, he doesn't see feel the double or triple coming a lot too, he has his back to the defense or spin move in coming. It's a fine move to collapse the D, but then you need to find the open man, not turn it over. And I agree with Ant will likely have to carry us in a OKC, maybe even Houston series. While Ju settles for a much more role player role against those teams. I guess the tough part is when Ant sits, where does the offense come from?
I think specifically when he turns it over/starts turning it over is when his defense sucks. It looks like his feet get stuck in mud as the other team pushes in transition leading to easy points. His energy goes down. He'd be better off getting angry and using that, versus upset and sad. His bad turnovers seem to come when he ISOs for 8-10 seconds too, the other players feet are stagnant too, probably causing them to not be 100% focused and ready for a turnover and transition.
Now saying that, Ju has been a solid positive and the KAT trade was successful. My only issue is against the elite physical defenses where his game doesn't translate well. When they match his physicality he's got nothing.
I think what happens is he gets bogged down in the paint trying to get to his left hand and it makes him vulnerable to turnovers and last-second grenades passed to a team mate with the shot clock winding down. Like you said, it's against better defenders (like JJJ of Memphis) or defenses like Houston and OKC.
I have a strong feeling we'll be talking about Julius again in the offseason as a trade asset. Finch has absolutely maximized him on this squad and I have no complaints after being really skeptical of him at first. I want to see how the playoffs go because at this point regular season performance needs to become subordinate to post-season performance.
Besides Ant becoming Jokic, SGA, or Giannis (doubtful), what can the team do to further maximize its chances of reaching the Finals? Can Julius's salary slot lead to a player or players that better compliment the rest of the group? I'm not sure, but I think it's something we'll be talking about again come June.
Right, he doesn't see feel the double or triple coming a lot too, he has his back to the defense or spin move in coming. It's a fine move to collapse the D, but then you need to find the open man, not turn it over. And I agree with Ant will likely have to carry us in a OKC, maybe even Houston series. While Ju settles for a much more role player role against those teams. I guess the tough part is when Ant sits, where does the offense come from?
Bingo. This has been Finch's white whale in a low-key way since he got here. Nowell, Milton, Dillingham, Shannon, Bones....He's been looking for a bench perimeter creator that can break the paint and create shots for himself and others when things bog down with the offense for whatever reason and Ant is either not in the game or somehow neutralized.
Most of those guys above have had flashes of brilliance (well, may be not Milton or Dillingham), but can never seem to sustain it. Bones is the closest we've gotten, but I still have questions.
It's why the Coby White and Collin Sexton type names keep coming up. These guys are flawed for sure, especially on defense, but they give Finch a creator off the bench.
Where does the offense come from when Ant sits? It has to be Randle. I love how he has embraced being second fiddle to Ant on this team, but it's interesting how he steps up in the games Ant misses. He doesn't complain about being Robin to Ant's batman, but he clearly relishes those moments when he gets to be Batman...he's averaged 28/7/6 the past 8 games Ant has missed. The Wolves offensive rating in the second most used 5-man lineup (Rudy, Ju, Jaden, Donte, Mike) is a very good 128.7 with a net rating over 20. The challenge for Finchy is to maximize Ant's and Ju's value by finding minutes when they can be out there without the other. It's a tough puzzle, but not too difficult to find 12 minutes when only one is out there. Dane and Hine talked about this on a recent podcast.
