It only took me one time seeing Reed Sheppard play in a Houston Rockets’ uniform to start thinking of all the hyperbolic possibilities with this team so let’s start with this one.
Recreating a “death lineup” similar to what the 2010s Golden State Warriors had is likely impossible given the circumstances it required to accumulate a generational lineup. However, I do think Houston has acquired enough pieces, each ranging with their own unique skillset, that could potentially produce a buzzsaw of a five-man unit.
Reestablishing what made the death lineup so powerful, it was a lineup that Golden State used to vanquish its enemies. The lineup itself featured Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green. That was before the revamped version, aka the “Hamptons Five”, swapped out Barnes for a guy named Kevin Durant.
The success of the lineup itself was predicated off of three things: elite spacing, multiple playmakers, and defenders ability to switch with success against larger opponents.
For the Warriors, Curry, Thompson and later on Durant, spaced the floor like no team has ever been able to or likely will be able to replicate. Iguodala and Green, not the most gifted scorers in the world, played their part on offense by operating as point-forwards, finding open shooters that caused havoc running off layers of screens. Defensively, everyone besides Curry was an exceptional defender, and in Iguodala and Green’s case, they were all-worldly.
In my opinion, the defense was always the key, and it’s something that managed to fly under the radar too many times based on how electrifying their offense was. Green’s ability to guard opposing centers, coupled with Iguodala and Thompson covering for Curry’s deficiencies on the wing made the team daunting. Durant only strengthened their interior defense, and for his part, Curry always gave the required effort on the defensive end to make their switching scheme work.
Now back to the Rockets, do I think they have the unicorns that the Dubs had? No, but I also am not projecting this to all come to fruition immediately. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither were the Warriors. They had a youthful core with upside, but nobody knew that they would blossom into what they eventually turned into.
In evaluating Houston’s core group, I think Sheppard could become one of the game’s most lethal three-point shooters. Sheppard alone won’t put the Rockets in 2010s Warriors territory, but his range alone could spread the floor for everyone else.
Just about any Rockets fan would agree that the success of this rebuild will ultimately hinge upon on how good Amen Thompson becomes and while his jumpshot may always be questionable, his defensive versatility and playmaking ability is what gives me hope for the Rockets’ future. If he’s Houston’s pseudo-Green/Iguodala type player, he will be the perfect complement to Sheppard.
Supplementing Sheppard and Thompson are Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. Both are players that have shown the ability to guard multiple positions and if Smith continues to show that he can occasionally guard opposing centers, it will be huge going forward for Ime Udoka’s lineup flexibility. Jabari’s ability to step out and make shots will also weigh heavily into this proposed theory of mine as it would be tremendous if he finally developed into the stretch big that he was projected to be out of college.
As for Eason, I never lost confidence. He’s going to become the Iguodala Swiss Army knife that I always thought he would be.
So now that leaves us down to one player left for this ambitious lineup derived of fan fiction and I already know what you’re thinking.
“Is it going to be Alperen Sengun or Jalen Green occupying the last spot?”
The answer is neither and it’s because Cam Whitmore has something to say. The reason I think Whitmore has a better chance to complete this lineup is because he fits the profile better.
Projecting forward, Whitmore is likely going to be a more consistent three-point shooter than either Green or Sengun, which is important in taking some pressure off of Sheppard. I also believe he will be able to guard more positions than the other two. Even though he’s only 20, Whitmore is a unit, and if he hones in on Udoka’s defensive philosophies, it’s going to be tough sledding for teams trying to get a good look off against Cam, Jabari, Amen and Tari.
Plus, it’s not like the death lineup was ever deployed for entire games. It was a tactic that had great success in limited minutes. It’s not like Green or Sengun can’t play a role, it’s just that they don’t fit the ideal mold for my lineup.
Mind you, this would also take time to implement. I’m not expecting them to become the ‘90s Chicago Bulls off the rip. None of these guys are even 24 yet or have played a lick of playoff basketball. I’m just manifesting here.