The Houston Rockets suffered a home defeat of 86-109 against the Boston Celtics. The Rockets played poorly throughout the game, with their rhythm controlled by the opponent, and they were further outscored in the final quarter, leading to a crushing loss. After the match, the Rockets faced four pieces of bad news.
Shenjing struggled significantly when facing strong teams, performing poorly under the basket. With Smith currently injured and Aman also absent, Shenjing's defensive performance was in shambles. Additionally, on the offensive end, he was unable to gain an advantage against the Celtics' twin towers, resulting in him being dominated both offensively and defensively. Looking ahead, opponents will likely target him during the playoffs, which could worsen his performance. It is hoped that after this game, Shenjing can reflect deeply on his play.
Similarly, Whitmore lost his way after facing targeted defense from a strong team. Throughout the game, he missed three-point shots and was unable to establish any advantage when breaking into the paint. Currently, Whitmore's basketball IQ is truly poor. Without the guarantee of a three-pointer, he could only dribble recklessly. However, his judgment of defense was lacking, and his basketball IQ was very low, ultimately causing Whitmore to fail to explode, shooting only 4 out of 17 for the game. Although his talent is good, his playing style is too unsightly.
VanVleet's recent performance has been increasingly poor. He shot 3 out of 7 for only 8 points, 1 rebound, and 3 assists, failing to live up to the role of a backcourt ball-handling core. Especially on the defensive end, his performance has been getting worse. With Shenjing's already poor interior defense, VanVleet is now continuously targeted on the perimeter, causing the defensive system to collapse both inside and outside. It is hoped that VanVleet can regain his focus, or else he will become increasingly insignificant, which is not good news for the Rockets.
Ethan remains a point of confusion. After playing on December 15th, Ethan has not appeared since, having been absent for nearly 20 days now. However, the Rockets' official announcement did not disclose what exactly happened to Ethan. Last season, it was due to a recurrence of the surgical site, and this season it has remained uncertain, causing fans to be very anxious. After all, Ethan is an all-around offensive and defensive player, and his absence is quite troublesome.