 The fourth season in the league with the Houston Rockets made the all rookie team Jay Chante joining us now from a cold midwest area of the country. Good luck with that by the way. Rockets 18 and 18. You guys are already four shy of last season's total. What's different? I mean everything. I mean I think coach you don't come in and shows you guys how much of an impact he's had on us and with the additions of you know some veterans around us. Our young Corey's has been everything and Alperin Sangoon coming into his own playing at an all-star caliber has really been great for us as well. Jay Sean like you said it's Eme Udoka's first season as head coach of this team. What's the biggest thing that he's brought for you guys? I think he's just given us a defensive presence identity. We really pride ourselves on that end and I think we've been a problem for teams and you know there's going to be growing pains and there's some games that we thought we could get away with that you know we have to learn from but ultimately we're in a way better spot than we were prior years and we're only going to continue to get better. Jay Sean you guys had a tough loss last night. Sorry brother I should have you had a follow-up question. Teamwork. Teamwork. I just saw that. You had a tough loss last night in Chicago but good news you got the pistons coming up. Come on now. They got three wins though. Is there some sort of pressure going into a game like that? You don't want to be that you don't want to lose to those guys right? I wouldn't say we're worried about them as much as it is about us you know Coach Silas is over there so it's always good to see him but you know we're trying to get more wins on the road. We protect at home at this point pretty good but we're still trying to find a road identity and you know it's a good good chance that we do that tomorrow. Jay T you're learning real fast man that was a great that was a great answer. Don't give him anything to put on the clipboard with some added incentive to beat you guys. I gotta ask you this you guys added Dylan Brooks in this in the summertime in off season what's that been like playing with Dylan and what does he give you guys? Yeah it's funny because you know I didn't really know Dylan before before he came to the team but I mean he's one of the best teammates man he's one of the best teammates to take the floor with you know I enjoy being this teammate and what he brings for us to this team is important and you know we're missing him out there right now but he'll be back real soon. What have you what have you seen him do on the floor with some of his antics or you like damn I'm glad this dude on my team and not the other way around. I mean he just doesn't play take take plays off man I mean he's he's he's full of throttle at all times like he's locked in from when we get there from shoot around till game time and you know his work ethic shows in the game he just brings us that fire that grit and we feed off of it for sure. He's a great he doesn't break character like he's a great heel I'm I'm just that whole pre that pregame stare down thing he never breaks. I think he stole that from me too by the way but that's another kind of guy. You're not you're you're you're just so nice even a man is just kidding he's not that nice. All right earlier in the season you were ejected from a game for quote an overt gesture and you question the integrity of the ref. We are huge fans of overt gestures here so what was it and what did you say to the ref statute of limitations is up. You're safe. Oh I think man so many games I gotta even think that many games. Honestly I think I literally wasn't even talking to you but I said it's like we're playing 8 on 5 out here. Yeah that'll get you. That's gonna do it. Yeah but anytime you insinuate the refs are cheating they will get. They don't like that. So sensitive. All right. Jay Sean you've you went on draft out of Ohio State you had quite the journey you played in Belgium like you you're one of the great draft undrafted success stories in the league going right now for you what was that like playing abroad now you're playing in the NBA you're a starter you come off the bench six man was it a big culture shock for you coming to the States and playing full time in the NBA. Yeah I mean for sure I mean I think throughout my journey everywhere I've been has been a different style of play. You know my first year in Belgium I really felt like I learned how to play the game you know really the importance of ball movement being off the ball spacing and stuff and then when I went to Australia I had the opportunity to be coached by Will Weaver who also was an assistant coach here with the Rockets a few years ago and he kind of molded me to be able to play that style when I got to the league and you know I got to play with some great players who are on the way some some European greats Andrew Boget was my teammate over there at and Sydney and then fast forward to now you know the last four years in Houston I think my role has changed every year and in the position so it's just been a learning experience this year has been a learning experience and I'm just taking me how it goes. Food items in Belgium that you miss any. I gotta say the first prize. People don't know first prize are actually from Belgium. With the mayonnaise right? No that's poutine. Sure. What do they call it poutine? No that's it's not rancher. It's not no indeed the mayonnaise thing at first you're like I don't know but it's gross. It's gross. No it's not gross. Both of y'all are terrific. He's telling you. He is telling you all right so you had a look James Harden has had quite the roller coaster ride in the league and you played with him in Houston it was only eight games what an interesting time for you to have to play with James Harden. I don't imagine he was thrilled in those days like what was that like. Yeah I mean there was a lot going on coaching change you know some players want to change and all I can really remember is just like you know that was my rookie year so that first week everybody caught COVID you know I wasn't even expecting to really play like that you know coming in um want to not guarantee and then half team caught COVID so you know I went out there I'm like yo this is I remember the first game was Portland uh versus us and you know him and them we're just going back and forth at it and I'm like oh okay this is this is the real deal and um you know he he definitely was you know um helpful with me that first year for the eight games I had just being able to play with a pro like him um and uh you know I wish you but success all right I know y'all had one incident in practice what happened uh it just it was it was just basketball you know the second unit was getting up on the first unit um you know it just got a little competitive but it was blown way out of proportion we were cool we always we always tell these stories Chandler and I we always say like trust me if y'all really seen what goes on behind the scenes and practices when it gets heated and competitive that's just the tip because we don't see it like with the Jordan pool dream I think there was a video but we don't see it usually if you don't see yeah like these things there's a story every day that it's something happening every day you know whether it's personal or whatever play going out of coach whatever yeah let me ask you you've you've played next to boogie cousins um you have any good boogie stories I got a I got a ton of boogie stories here's my guy have you got any good boogie stories I think the funniest story I got was boogie is uh we were in the training room one time and we got this full mirror we got this like full body mirror and he was buying he double takes he goes what happened to me I used to look like I used to look like that I was like one of the funniest stories uh that I got of him because you had the whole whole uh training buddy behind the scenes life life comes out you fast it's very it's very fun that you're real fast jay shawnt you've also you've been compared to a few vets pj tucker's one of them dream on greens the other do you like these comparisons do what do you think about these um I definitely think there's some some similarities but um you know at the end of the day um you know I'm I'm just jay shawnt take you know I'm saying um there's definitely things that um I try to you know take from them and learn from them uh from afar you know I got the opportunity to play with pj um for for a year my first year as well and um man he was hard he was hard uh on me that first year um with the low man and how just being in the in defensive um in the right position so uh that was a learning point for me so I definitely uh do that I remember how he used to yell at me and then fast forward I'm yelling at rookie just like he did so there's definitely some some some similarities but uh I think we're all different it's all cyclical all right off the court for a second uh over the summer you you interned you volunteered at a burger joint through the drive first of all why would you want I mean I I did the restaurant stuff for a long time people are mean did you like it I'm not gonna lie that was giving me a hard time what do what is coke then he wanted ice and bill what he wanted ice and coke in different cups line was long I wasn't there too long man it was a humbling experience um but you know uh shout out to bumby uh he has a great establishment going man and the burgers are actually tourist I'm gonna go out on the land and say me and jt are probably only two people in this conversation that has had trill burger trill burger no you got trill burgers shut up channel wait is that is that the show knows that James Harlan was having like he had a bunch of burgers in the same way man I'm asking I'm asking he's genuinely asking I'm you guys remember that video I'm gonna win a little off topic here is it a good burger it's an actually a smash burger it's like a smash burger yeah I'm rolling it's an actually good burger shout out the bar they got a vegan burger as well see okay you don't no thanks no trailer said no thanks okay fair enough um you're very much involved in the community you've got Christmas for kids a basketball clinic for special needs kids um local coffee which we could use right now uh why where does all that passion come from um yeah I mean you know Houston is like the first uh you know team to give me an opportunity and this has been my home here for the past five years and um the community the community has shown nothing but love to me and you know I've been blessed um where I am and um you know where I come from it's it's always good to you know be involved and get back so um like I said I got blessed to meet some really good people uh through coffee uh David Brewer who owns uh blacksmith coffee is one of the best baristas um in the city so if y'all ever go to Houston you want to check that out um he put me in contact with uh a guy named Remi Yusuf who runs the ninth wonder foundation um like you said uh is a uh a foundation that helps kids uh on the spectrum um play play basketball um have clinics and stuff like that but also through just networking I met um a girl named Lily um Lily the ball I just want to get her name right a 14 year old girl um who has a warehouse full of toys that she just gives out to the community and um she she's been doing this for uh you know a few years now and it's grown every year and uh this Christmas was a very great experience where we had a couple families come in and um give them some rocket gear and they got to pick out I mean they had so many toys that you know I kind of felt bad for their mom I'm like I told them they got to pick up these toys when they go home too many toys now oh man so many toys but um yeah uh it's just been a great uh great experience for me being in this city and you know I love the city in it and when you give it love it'll love you back so you got that Jason I got drafted there in 2011 and some of my best relationships are still the you know people I've met from the courtside sitting courtside or these gallows so you you nailed it that that city in particular for me you do you show love you do things that you're doing in the community and they're gonna love you always bro so keep doing them so Jason everyone has a welcome to the NBA moment I need to hear yours besides the Boogie Cousins moment maybe that was you know interesting in your own NBA win for you specifically I got a good one I can't remember which um which moist when it was oh gosh never a good start I think it was I think it was the Lakers it was like in Boogie Cousins actually in this story as well um but you know I'm a big tier guy so you know when guys cut you're supposed to chuckle you know I'm saying so guys guys are going in like I'm chucking them you know to stop the cut man I must check wrong wrong wrong person I know I'm I'm I'm being there behind the bathroom but uh I don't keep us at him yeah yeah it was it was uh that was definitely one of my welcome to the league moments um but you know Boogie Boogie had my follow-up and uh I'm like you know what happened like I asked him again he's like yo you can't be doing that out here like no like we don't do that up here so um that's definitely definitely was my first one I love that everyone has a story it's so good Jay Sean this has been a pleasure thank you so much good luck the rest of the way stay warm up there appreciate it thank you thank you good luck the rest of the way bro Lou you want to apologize to shams he was right shams was right yep shams was right same burger same burger yeah that's the burger the burger in the picture we're going to take quick break when we come back that man has a family