They finished last in the league in all three of those categories. Aside from the defense, three other areas in particular stand out: three-point accuracy, assists and turnovers. When you’re as bad as the Rockets have been over the past three seasons, you need help everywhere.
That makes sense – it’s a drastically different team than the one he purchased, and it has lost a lot of games lately.Īnother reason Houston wants to improve next season is the team owes its 2024 first-round pick (top-four protected) to Oklahoma City as part of the Chris Paul/ Russell Westbrook trade (the Rockets owe the Thunder their 2026 first-rounder as well). For starters, if the team is unable to land any of its top targets, I could see general manager Rafael Stone getting fired before the season even begins, because the front office has been very forthright about building toward this point in time.Ī report in December indicated that owner Tilman Fertitta has grown “ antsy” with the state of the Rockets’ rebuild. I don’t think Daishen Nix will be on the roster in ‘23/24 – his salary is non-guaranteed, and while he’s only 21, he was among the worst semi-regular rotation players in the NBA this season.Īrmed with the most cap room in the NBA this summer (about $60MM), the Rockets will certainly look to be aggressive and make major strides in ‘23/24, for a number of different reasons.
HOUSTON ROCKETS ROSTER 2000 FREE
is a good bet to return, either on his minimum-salary team option or – if the Rockets turn down his option to negotiate with him as a restricted free agent, like they did last summer with Tate – on a new contract. I don’t think Porter is a true point guard, and while Tate brings a lot of positive attributes, he’s not a good three-point shooter.Īfter a solid third season, Kenyon Martin Jr. That’s not to suggest I necessarily think they will be traded or that they’re bad players - just that they make the most sense to be on the block from a fit standpoint. and/or Jae’Sean Tate look to me like the most likely trade candidates on the roster. The fact that he admitted the team rarely ran plays for Smith – who struggled to find quality looks throughout his rookie season – was unacceptable to me, because they were setting him up to fail - it’s not like he was known as a shot creator coming out of Auburn. One big knock I had against Silas was how disorganized the Rockets were offensively. The other three players mentioned should be safe. Sure, he’s struggled with scoring efficiency and defense, but those are normal growing pains for a young player, and it’s not like the Rockets had a strong foundation on either end of the court. He’s still only 21 years old and has two years left on his rookie contract. I don’t think the idea of trading Green should be entirely dismissed, but I’d be surprised if he’s moved. Another indicated that Green, Smith, Tari Eason and Alperen Sengun were Houston’s primary core. One rumor stated that, while interviewing head coaches, the Rockets broached the subject of including Green in trade talks to try and acquire a star this summer. There have been conflicting reports over the past week about the status of at least one member of the team’s core. After winning a tiebreaker with the Spurs, Houston will draft no lower than sixth overall. They’re certainly hoping that’s the case. Will 2023 be the year they win the lottery and select Victor Wembanyama? The past two draft lotteries have seen the Rockets land the second ( Jalen Green) and third ( Jabari Smith) overall picks. The Rockets finished 30th, 30th and 29th in defensive rating over those three seasons, so obviously improving on that front will be a top priority under new head coach Ime Udoka, who replaced Stephen Silas after the Rockets declined to pick up their option on the last year of Silas’ contract. The team finished with the worst record in the league in both ’20/21 and ’21/22, and was tied with San Antonio at 22-60 for the NBA’s second-worst mark in ’22/23. When their franchise player, former MVP James Harden, asked for - and was granted - a trade to start 2020/21, it was the beginning of a rough three-year stretch of basketball in Houston. 500 or better record for 14 consecutive seasons from 2007-20.
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