25 points, 5 assists, 2 breaks! 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists! Sorry, Amen, he is Van Jordan s best stand-in

Died before he succeeded, and the heroes were filled with tears! The Houston Rockets frantically signed a group to fight for the championship, but suffered a blow. Championship defender Van Jordan suffered a serious injury from a torn cruciate ligament! According to the Rockets' official statement, Van Jordan has successfully undergone a torn repair surgery for an ACL of the right knee and is expected to be reimbursed in the new season. Van Jordan is not only the Rockets' locker room leader, but also the absolute core of the Rockets' backcourt. He shoulders the burden of organization, defense and three-pointers, and the importance is self-evident! Van Jordan fell seriously injured, but the Rockets had no way out. It is still the team's goal to strive for the championship. Finding a Van Jordan stand-in is the top priority!

First of all, we have to accept two facts. The total salary of the Rockets 15 guarantee contracts is US$194.7 million, which is only 1.2 million away from the first rich line (US$195.9 million). The Rockets signed Finney Smith to use the middle class special case, which means that even if the Rockets can apply for an injury special case, there is no salary space to sign. At the same time, the only players that the Rockets can use for trade are Durant, Amen, Shinkin, Jr. Ja, Ethan and Shepard. According to the NBA's labor and capital agreement, Adams, Capela, Finney Smith, Okogie, Tate, Holiday, Jeff Green and others will not sign until December 15th. This means that even if the Rockets are willing to take advantage of the draft pick and strengthen through trade, they will have to wait until the middle of the season. To sum up, the Rockets can only tap potential new stars internally and replace Van Jordan!

According to previous reports by US media, before Van Jordan was injured, Amen planned to play a more important organizational role in the Rockets' offense. Last season, Amen played 69 games, averaging 14.1 points + 8.2 rebounds + 3.8 assists + 1.4 steals + 1.3 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of up to 55.7%. Amen's defense and attack ability are indeed outstanding, but Amen's three-pointers and organizational stability are still seriously insufficient. Last season, Amen averaged only 0.4 three-pointers per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of only 27.5%. At the same time, Amen averaged as many as 2 turnovers per game, with an assist-and-turnover ratio of only 1.9. Obviously, this is not the level that the starting point guard of the championship team should have. More importantly, Amen's style of playing is not like that of a traditional defender. If he is allowed to take on the organization and do three-pointers that he is not good at, it may weaken his performance in other aspects. I want to mention Van Jordan's best stand-in is another person!

This person is Shepherd, the second-year Tanhualang of the Rockets. In the rookie season, Shepard played 52 games for the Rockets, averaging 12.6 minutes per game, scoring 4.4 points + 1.5 rebounds + 1.4 assists per game, shooting percentage of 35.1%, three-point shooting percentage of 33.8%, and free throw shooting percentage of 81.3%. In many people's impression, Shepard is weak, has poor defense, and is not accurate in three-pointers. How can he be competent for the Rockets' starting point guard? But what I want to say is that the Rockets were the second strong team in the Western Conference last season, and Shepard did not get enough playing time, which more or less hindered his talent and growth!

Even so, when the opportunity is given to Shepard, he can still use his strengths. According to statistics from the NBA official website, Shepard averaged 19.7 points + 3.3 rebounds + 4.7 assists + 2.2 steals + 4.3 three-pointers per game, with a shooting percentage of 48.9%, a three-point shooting percentage of 52%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 100%. Among them, on March 4, Shepard scored 25 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 breaks and 1 hat; on April 10, Shepard scored 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 breaks; on April 12, Shepard contributed 14 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 breaks and 1 hat. Shepard's big explosion in these three games failed to turn into victory, which is more or less related to the strong opponent. However, it is undeniable that Shepard demonstrated the talent and responsibility that Tanhualang deserves in these three games, attacked resolutely and efficiently, and had the style of a general, and the future is promising!

Looking forward to the new season, Shepard will return with a stronger attitude after experiencing the offseason! On the one hand, Shepard himself is a point guard with a solid three-pointer and organizational foundation. What he needs is opportunities and experience; on the other hand, Shepard's body is stronger than the rookie season, and his performance on the defensive end is also more worth looking forward to. More importantly, Shepard is the Tanhualang & future puzzle that the Rockets have high expectations. When does it need to wait? So, sorry, Amen, Shepard is Van Jordan's best stand-in, and the Rockets should let professionals try to do professional things! For Shepard, the times create heroes, this is an opportunity and a challenge! If he can seize the opportunity to deliver the answer, the future will inevitably be limitless; on the contrary, the Rockets may take action in the middle of the season! Fans, what do you think about this? Let me leave me a comment and discuss it.