Rockets Struggles vs. Celtics Illustrated Lost Arc Of Post-Entry Passing

The Houston Rockets had a tough time trying to play through Alperen Sengun in a loss to the Celtics, and coach Stephen Silas credited their struggles due to the lost arc of post-entry passing.

HOUSTON — Alperen Sengun came into TD Garden Tuesday night, one day removed from the greatest game of his career. He recorded 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting, 11 rebounds, six assists and a block to lead the Houston Rockets to a 133-118 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

But 24 hours later, Sengun had his worst performance. He was held scoreless for the third time in his career and played 22 minutes while the Rockets sustained a 126-102 loss to the Boston Celtics.

Sengun spent most of the game hounded by reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart, whose stature and physicality made the second-year big man non-existent in Boston.

"It impacted us a lot," coach Stephen Silas said. "When they had Smart on [Alperen], we were trying to get the ball into [the post], but Marcus is a strong and quick defender. He was circling around to get the ball, which made our post entries not very good.  

"It made it hard to play through [Alperen] when they had the smaller guy on him. It's not just the height of the guy. But also, their strength." 

The Rockets' inability to get the ball to Sengun illustrated the lost arc of post-entry passing. Silas said when he first came into the league (2000), post-entry drills were one of the primary exercise teams practiced. 

Players used to practice faking the ball low while throwing it high in the post and vice-versa. Silas believes the lack of post players over the previous eight seasons is the reason behind the lost technique.

Dating back to 2014, all but three teams averaged more than ten post-touches a night. The Memphis Grizzlies led the NBA by averaging 28.7 post-touches, headlined by their All-Star corps of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. 

But throughout the 2022-23 campaign, only the Denver Nuggets (13.3) and the Milwaukee Bucks (10.3) have achieved the feat. Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are leading each franchise, respectively.

The Rockets have averaged 5.0 post-up touches through their first 34 games. The 2015-16 season marked the last time the Rockets averaged 10 or more post touches, which coincides with Dwight Howard's final year in Houston.

"There was a big emphasis on playing through the post to get the ball to the big guys," K.J. Martin said. "Back in the day, it was a heavy big-man league. Now, with stretch fours and fives, most of the game is out on the perimeter. 

"They [the Celtics] had Marcus Smart on him [Sengun]. And then they switched to Jayson Tatum. It was a little difficult, but we were able to find him a few times under the basket.

Smith finished the night with three steals. He intercepted Jalen Green's post-entry pass to Sengun at the 6:29 mark of the first quarter. 

Martin recorded a failed post-entry pass of his own with 3 minutes and 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown, who finished the game with 39 points, was credited with the steal. Martin's target was Sengun.

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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