https://theathletic.com/3026938/202...s-booster-player-in-support-of-its-key-three/ 29. Houston Rockets (Previously 27th), 10-23, -7.1 net rating Weekly slate: Loss at Bulls, Loss at Bucks, Loss at Pacers Key three: Christian Wood, Kevin Porter Jr., Eric Gordon | 219 minutes | +5.9 net rating For a team that had a 15-game losing streak at one point, the Houston Rockets having some significant positive success with this trio in limited minutes is pretty encouraging. The idea for a rebuilding team like this is to remain as competitive as possible while trying to still accumulate the proper amount of lottery odds to grab a top pick. The Rockets went on a big winning streak, which skewed some of the numbers in their favor here, but it’s still telling that a team with this kind of record and net rating overall could look so good with these three on the court together. It should help to keep them this way until the trade deadline because it will hopefully convince a hopeful contender to acquire Eric Gordon off their hands. Booster player: Jalen Green | 86 minutes | 0.0 net rating This is the tricky part for the Rockets. How do you maintain competitive consistency while also putting the rookie on the court for development? After missing 14 straight games with a hammy, Green returned this past week and had his best game of the season, both as an individual and team impact when he was on the floor. Houston was brutal with him on the floor prior to the injury. If the Rockets can be competitive and not get embarrassed as they get him some much-needed reps, that will be the ideal finish to this season for Houston. GIF ON THE BEAT https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...ngs-week-11-new-year-resolutions-all-30-teams 28. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 10-23 Previous ranking: 26 No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green's development is, and has always been, the top priority for Houston this season. The Rockets' sudden surge to competitiveness coincided with Green missing an extended stretch due to a hamstring strain, but the biggest factor was Houston's shift to a small lineup, which should give Green more space to operate now that he's back. He used his time off to make his shot release smoother and quicker, which paid off during Green's 20-point, 25-minute performance in his return. -- MacMahon https://www.si.com/nba/2021/12/27/nba-power-rankings-warriors-regain-top-spot-lakers-fall 28. Houston Rockets Current record: 10-23 Previous ranking: 26 Surprise! The random seven-game Rockets win streak was a mirage. As far as lottery odds go, Houston is still amongst the three worst teams in the league, so no harm done. https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-11 28. Houston Rockets Last Week: 26 ↓ Record: 10-23 Pace: 100.5 (4) OffRtg: 100.7 (25) DefRtg: 113.0 (28) NetRtg: -7.1 (27) The Rockets’ seven-game winning streak (that followed their 15-game losing streak) was built on improved offense. Their defense has never been particularly good, and it’s been particularly bad as they’ve lost seven of their last nine. The 124.1 points per 100 possessions they’ve allowed over the nine games is the worst mark in the league over that stretch by a large margin, and they’ve allowed at least 120 per 100 in eight of those nine games. The Rockets have gone from fourth in opponent 3-point percentage (32.4%) through their first 24 games to 30th (39.1%) over the last nine, while also seeing a big drop in defensive rebounding percentage. Daniel Theis’ diminished role has something to do with that, but it’s also been a tough stretch of schedule. Five of the nine games have come against teams that currently rank in the top 10 offensively, and seven of the nine have come on the road. They’re back home this week, but will face two more top-10 offenses (those of the Hornets and Heat) in the next five days. Jalen Green made his return on Thursday, shooting 6-for-9 from 3-point range, and the Rockets’ losses in Milwaukee and Indiana were the first time this season that Eric Gordon has played in both games of a back-to-back. They have two more back-to-backs this week. Week 11: @ CHA, vs. LAL, vs. MIA, vs. DEN
"Surprise! The random seven-game Rockets win streak was a mirage. As far as lottery odds go, Houston is still amongst the three worst teams in the league, so no harm done." lol
Journalists must be pissing themselves rolling on the ground laughing and writing this piece. Herro vs Green. Bam Adebayo vs Sengün
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...ace-chicago-bulls-other-streaking-teams-stand 28. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 10-27 Previous ranking: 28 A lot has gone wrong recently for the Rockets, who have lost seven in a row and have had disciplinary issues with two core players, Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood. A bright spot: Rookie Jalen Green has scored prolifically and efficiently since returning from the hamstring strain that sidelined the No. 2 overall draft pick for a month. Green has averaged 22.3 points on .481/.515/.870 shooting splits in four games since returning to the lineup. -- MacMahon https://theathletic.com/3036848/202...-plus-new-years-resolutions-for-all-30-teams/ 28. Houston Rockets (Previously 29th), 10-27, -7.7 net rating Weekly slate: Loss at Hornets, Loss to Lakers, Loss to Heat, Loss to Nuggets New Year’s resolution: Get Jalen Green to be the Anthony Edwards of this rookie class. LaMelo Ball ended up running away with last season’s Rookie of the Year award, garnering 84 of the 99 first-place votes. But Anthony Edwards was more deserving than the voting split ended up being. He had a monster end to the season, and his stretch after the All-Star break was as impressive as most of what Ball did. Jalen Green had a rough start to his rookie season this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t see him light things on fire and be incendiary the rest of the way. Since returning from his hamstring injury five games ago (playing in four), Green has averaged 22.3 points on 48.1 percent from the field, 51.5 percent from deep and 87 percent from the free-throw line. Those percentages might be a little optimistic for him, but I think we could see scoring production in that neighborhood. Anything to distract from the blowup in the locker room at halftime involving Christian Wood, Kevin Porter Jr. and assistant coach John Lucas. https://www.si.com/nba/2022/01/03/nba-power-rankings-chicago-bulls-demar-derozan-contenders 29. Houston Rockets Current record: 10-27 Previous ranking: 28 Kevin Porter Jr. quit on the team at halftime of an ugly loss to Denver, Christian Wood reportedly did the same and Houston’s late November/early December flirt with relevance has been replaced by another lengthy losing streak. Insert Kevin Bacon/Animal House meme here. https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-12 28. Houston Rockets Last Week: 28 Record: 10-27 Pace: 100.7 (3) OffRtg: 106.3 (26) DefRtg: 114.0 (29) NetRtg: -7.7 (28) The Hornets ranked as the league’s worst defense entering their matchup with Houston on Monday. And in that game, the Rockets sure looked like the worse defensive team. They’re obviously young – Jalen Green wasn’t available and they still played five rookies together for a few minutes – but their defensive issues went beyond rookie mistakes. It was more about a lack of physical resistance as the Hornets attacked the basket. The Rockets are the only team that ranks in the bottom 10 in both opponent field goal percentage in the restricted area (65.9%, sixth highest) and the percentage of their opponents’ shots that have come in the restricted area (31%, fourth highest). They have only one David Nwaba, he’s 6-foot-5, and he was no match for LeBron James on Tuesday. Houston has had issues both inside and out (their opponents have shot 39% from 3-point range) as they’ve allowed 125.5 points per 100 possessions over a seven-game losing streak. The Rockets now rank below Charlotte defensively, though they’ve both been outdone by the Blazers. More pressing for the Rockets than the losing streak and where they rank defensively are a couple of disciplinary issues — with Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood — that popped up on Saturday. You can’t go home from the arena when you’re on the road and the Rockets (who are 3-17 on the road) will be in Philadelphia and Washington on Monday and Wednesday. Week 12: @ PHI, @ WAS, vs. DAL, vs. MIN
https://www.si.com/nba/2022/01/10/nba-power-rankings-midseason-warriors-suns-bulls-jazz 28. Houston Rockets Current record: 11-30 Previous ranking: 29 It’d be difficult to find a player with a stranger week than Kevin Porter Jr., who left the arena during the second half of a recent game after allegedly throwing an object and needing to be separated from one of his coaches, got suspended for the next contest, but then returned and hit the deciding basket in his first game back. (His name also came up as part of one of the stranger stories you’ll see, but that’s neither here nor there.) https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...-streaking-memphis-grizzlies-dallas-mavericks 28. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 11-30 Previous ranking: 28 The Rockets are 3-14 since their stunning seven-game winning streak was snapped. Houston's defense has been especially horrific during that span, as the Rockets have allowed 122.8 points per 100 possessions, the primary reason that 11 of the 14 losses have been by double-digit margins. -- MacMahon https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-13 28. Houston Rockets Last Week: 28 Record: 11-30 Pace: 101.2 (2) OffRtg: 106.4 (26) DefRtg: 114.7 (30) NetRtg: -8.3 (28) Kevin Porter Jr.’s first three games of 2022 made for quite the story arc. He left at halftime after a locker room blow-up on Jan. 1, was suspended for the second game, and then came back to drain the game-winner in Washington on Wednesday, getting a big hug from Rockets coach Stephen Silas afterward. The victory ended an eight-game losing streak in which Houston allowed an amazing 126 points per 100 possessions. The Rockets have been solid (plus-7.9 points per 100 possessions) in 244 total minutes with Porter on the floor without Jalen Green, but Porter’s offense isn’t the reason why. His true shooting percentage of 46.7% ranks 52nd among 54 players with a usage rate of 24% or higher and his 41.6% shooting in the paint ranks 189th among 191 players with at least 100 paint attempts. That game-winner came on an iso against Raul Neto, but Porter’s 0.66 points per possession on isolations ranks 53rd among 54 players who’ve had at least 50. The Rockets (0-7) are one of two winless teams – the 0-8 Hornets are the other — in the second games of back-to-backs. They have another on Monday, with the Sixers’ visit having been moved up in last week’s schedule shuffle. The first meeting was this past Monday (the game in which both Porter and Christian Wood were suspended) when Houston had a one-point lead at halftime and then allowed Philly to score 41 points on 27 possessions in the third quarter. https://theathletic.com/3048184/202...bear-and-hardship-takeaways-for-all-30-teams/ 27. Houston Rockets (Previously 28th), 11-30, -8.3 net rating Weekly slate: Loss at Sixers, Win at Wizards, Loss to Mavs, Loss to Wolves How many players signed? 1 (DeJon Jarreau) Biggest takeaway from the hardship era: The Houston Rockets actually went the other way on this. They released Danuel House to let him go try to catch on with a good team that might need his services. He’s signed multiple 10-day deals since his release in mid-December. The Rockets also would have a bit of a complicated situation on their hands if they needed to sign multiple hardship guys due to protocols. It’s a bad look that they still have John Wall willing and able to play games, and the only action he’s getting happens at practice and in agent-organized workouts. It’s adjacent to the Ben Simmons situation in Philadelphia. As for the Rockets themselves, Garrison Mathews, Armoni Brooks and Josh Christopher are third, fifth and sixth, respectively, in minutes since the December calendar turned over. Some of that is a product of injuries, and of course, some of that was a product of team suspensions following the John Lucas callout incident in the game against Denver. Houston has moved on from that, and it was good to see Kevin Porter Jr. have a good moment following his suspension, hitting a game-winner.
last 15 games Rockets have a -14.7 point differential…next closest is Detroit at -8.7 also have a -14.6 net rating…next closest is Detroit is -8.6 also have a 122 defensive rating Idk why basketball jesus blessed us with a random 7 game win streak, but outside of that, this is the worst team of all time
https://theathletic.com/3060973/202...-no-1-plus-midseason-grades-for-all-30-teams/ 29. Houston Rockets (Previously 27th), 13-32, -8.1 net rating Weekly slate: Loss to Sixers, Win at Spurs, Loss at Kings, Win at Kings First-quarter Grade: D- | Ranked 27th Halfway-point Grade: D We had that weird blowup with Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. against John Lucas in the locker room at halftime of a loss, but other than that, the Houston Rockets season has been pretty mundane. They had a random seven-game win streak after a 15-game losing streak. We saw them look a lot tighter without Jalen Green on the court as he nursed a hamstring injury. Then when he came back, he looked a lot more comfortable out there. Their biggest drama moving forward is what happens with John Wall, who is itching to play. This season is still all about development. Prediction Update? Yes, but I want to stick with my belief that Armoni Brooks will make at least 100 3-pointers this season. Let’s check in on the guy everybody on Houston deemed as by far the best shooter on the team. He’s made 59 3-pointers in 33 games. He’s on pace to shatter that prediction of 100 3-pointers, especially after making 60 of them in 20 games last season. So maybe that was an easy prediction. But the curious part is he’s made just 31.7 percent of his deep attempts this season. He should be 10 percentage points higher than that with how the team talks about him. Not only am I sticking with the 100 3-pointers made, but I predict he’ll finish the season above 38 percent from deep. That would be quite the turnaround, but I believe in his accuracy. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...ek-14-ja-morant-memphis-grizzlies-keep-rising 28. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 13-32 Previous ranking: 28 After scoring 31 points on only 10 field goal attempts in Wednesday's win over the Spurs, veteran guard Eric Gordon made it clear he would like more shots when he gets that hot, seemingly sending a message to the Rockets' young playmakers. Gordon has certainly been efficient with his opportunities this season, shooting 50.5% from the floor and 45.5% from 3-point range, which should make him an attractive target in the trade market. -- MacMahon https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-14 28. Houston Rockets Last Week: 28 Record: 13-32 Pace: 101.5 (1) OffRtg: 106.5 (26) DefRtg: 114.6 (29) NetRtg: -8.1 (28) After he scored 31 points on 9-for-10 from the field and 7-for-10 from the line in San Antonio on Wednesday, Eric Gordon said he “would just like more shots.” As one of five players who’ve shot 50% or better on at least 200 field-goal attempts and 40% or better on at least 100 3-point attempts, Gordon probably does deserve more shots. And as you would expect, his usage rate with both Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. on the floor (14.2%) is much lower than it is overall (19.4%). But at least Gordon (unlike another veteran guard on the Rockets’ roster) is getting to play. Houston’s starting lineup – Green, Porter, Gordon, Jae’Sean Tate and Christian Wood – has outscored its opponents and scored a pretty efficient 112.3 points per 100 possessions in its 123 minutes. And in the final minute in Sacramento on Sunday, a ridiculously athletic offensive rebound from Green turned into a game-sealing bucket from Gordon. Of course, that bucket was unassisted and Green has just five assists to Gordon in their 446 minutes together (while Gordon has nine to Green). The Rockets have won two out of three games for the first time since their seven-game winning streak came to an end in early December. They’re still 0-16 against the top 10 teams in the West, set to finish their five-game trip at Utah and Golden State on Wednesday and Friday. Week 14: @ UTA, @ GSW https://www.si.com/nba/2022/01/17/nba-power-rankings-trade-deadline-buyers-and-sellers 28. Houston Rockets Current record: 13-32 Previous ranking: 28 Sell. Eric Gordon’s sweet jumper belongs in the playoffs.
https://theathletic.com/3074326/202...ising-and-questionable-lineups-for-each-team/ 27. Houston Rockets (Previously 29th), 14-33, -7.8 net rating Weekly slate: Win at Jazz, Loss at Warriors Promising lineup: Kevin Porter Jr. | Eric Gordon | Jalen Green | Jae’Sean Tate | Christian Wood | 169 minutes | +0.5 net rating This lineup for the Houston Rockets has been trending negatively recently. A couple of games ago, it was outscoring opponents by over 6.0 points per 100 possessions, and now it’s damn near down to neutral. But I still love what this lineup means for the Rockets on the court right now. It’s all about versatility for them. Porter and Green have been the two most important development projects for the Rockets. And it’s been trending better and better for most of the season after a rough start. With this lineup, even if Gordon eventually gets moved, you can see the type of versatility this team will try to employ in the future. It’s been good offensively and just needs to figure out how to defend. Questionable lineup: Kevin Porter Jr. | Jalen Green | Jae’Sean Tate | Christian Wood | Daniel Theis | 172 minutes | -26.1 net rating This is the most-used lineup for the Rockets this season by a few minutes, and it has stunk. It’s a far more “traditional” lineup, and it hasn’t helped out the Rockets much at all. It was far more prominent in the first quarter of the season and has been used less and less. Even with Theis being a good big-man role player, this just doesn’t work. Wood guarding more on the perimeter is tough. And while Theis can stretch out a little bit on the perimeter on offense, this lineup has been abysmal offensively. It might improve a bit as the season goes on because Green and KPJ look better now than at the start of the season, but I’d rather watch them play with more flexibility. GIF ON THE BEAT: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...ern-conference-race-tightening-suns-streaking 27. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 14-33 Previous ranking: 28 The Rockets are on a relative hot streak, winning three of their past five games, despite rookie Jalen Green's slump. Green has averaged only 10 points on 27.3% shooting during that stretch. Kevin Porter Jr., the other young guard the Rockets consider a long-term piece of their core, has excelled in the five-game run, averaging 17.8 points and 6.6 assists with a true shooting percentage of 62.3. -- MacMahon https://www.si.com/nba/2022/01/24/nba-power-rankings-player-to-watch-for-each-team 27. Houston Rockets Current record: 14-33 Previous ranking: 28 Player to watch: Eric Gordon Gordon is 33 years old and enjoying what might be the best season of his fantastic, albeit perennially overlooked, career. Behind the arc, he’s drilling 42.7% of his pull ups and (the following is not a misprint) 45.8% of his catch-and-shoot tries, leveraging that threat to attack downhill as if it were 2012. https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-15 27. Houston Rockets Last Week: 28 ↑ Record: 14-33 Pace: 101.3 (1) OffRtg: 106.8 (26) DefRtg: 114.5 (30) NetRtg: -7.8 (28) The Rockets went 3-2 on a five-game trip, with two of their five starters — Eric Gordon and Christian Wood — shooting better than 50% on more than 25 attempts from 3-point range over the five games. It wasn’t Houston’s best stretch of offense this season, but the Rockets do rank in the top 10 on that end of the floor over the last 12 days. They beat the Jazz (shooting 22-for-45 from beyond the arc) on Wednesday, and they went down to the wire against the Warriors two nights later. The Utah win was just the Rockets’ fourth (they’re 4-28) after trailing by double-digits. It also came with their lowest turnover rate (nine on 95 possessions) of the season. Jalen Green enters Week 15 having missed his last 16 shots from the field, but he has a much lower turnover rate in his 14 games since he returned from a 14-game absence (10.4 per 100 possessions used) than he did in his 18 games prior (14.4 per 100). The Rockets still have the league’s worst differential overall (they’ve committed 3.1 per game more than their opponents), but it’s just plus-1.8 per game in January. The Rockets are playing just two games over a stretch of nine days, with a four-game homestand starting on Tuesday. They’ve lost their last eight games at home, with the last three of those defeats having come by at least 18 points. Week 15: vs. SAS, vs. POR
I am retiring from power rankings. #bewell https://theathletic.com/3088211/202...tar-locks-and-possibilities-for-all-30-teams/ 29. Houston Rockets (Previously 27th), 14-35, -8.3 net rating Weekly slate: Loss to Spurs, Loss to Blazers Any All-Star locks? There sure aren’t. The Houston Rockets are in the second season of rebuilding, and while they do have a lot of potential talent, the All-Star talent is still lacking right now. Any All-Star fringes? No, but Christian Wood would be the guy with the best or sexiest numbers to throw out there for this conversation. His 17-10 averages are good but not close to competing with other big men in the West this season for All-Star. The more alluring convo with him, however, revolves around the upcoming trade deadline. Any other weekend participants? Would love to see Jalen Green in the dunk contest. He has so much charisma and energy in front of a crowd that you’d know he’d bring a great performance. Can’t imagine we’d see Eric Gordon in another 3-point shootout at this point in his career, but he’s been in it twice and he’s won it once. Armoni Brooks has the reputation on the team as a top shooter, but his numbers are unlikely to get him there. It would be funny if John Wall did the skills challenge after not really being allowed to play all season. GIF ON THE BEAT https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...hiladelphia-76ers-climbing-eastern-conference 28. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 14-35 Previous ranking: 27 Rookie Jalen Green, the 2021 No. 2 overall draft pick, is battling through another really rough stretch. He is shooting 33.3% from the floor and 24.7% from 3-point range in January. That includes going 7-of-38 from the floor during the Rockets' current three-game losing streak, missing all 11 of his shots in a loss to the Warriors. Coach Stephen Silas wants Green to stay aggressive as he goes through growing pains, praising the rookie for earning nine free throws in Friday's loss to the Trail Blazers. -- MacMahon https://www.si.com/nba/2022/01/31/nba-power-rankings-phoenix-suns-chris-paul-winning-streak 27. Houston Rockets Current record: 14–35 Previous ranking: 27 Christian Wood can be maddening at times, but he’s a really versatile big who can put up numbers and seems like he’d be more valuable to a playoff team than the meandering Rockets. Could the Bucks, Mavericks or Hornets pry him loose? https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-16 29. Houston Rockets Last Week: 27 ↓ Record: 14-35 Pace: 101.4 (1) OffRtg: 106.7 (27) DefRtg: 115.0 (30) NetRtg: -8.3 (29) Some time off hasn’t done much for the Rockets’ 30th-ranked defense. They had three days off before hosting San Antonio on Tuesday, and they allowed the Spurs to score 82 points in the paint, tied for the most in a game this season. They had another two days off before hosting Portland on Friday, and they allowed the Blazers to register their highest effective field goal percentage (67.3%) in ’21-22. The Rockets allowed more than 125 points per 100 possessions over the two games, losing the two first quarters by a combined score of 66-43. They had Jae’Sean Tate guarding Jusuf Nurkic to start the Portland game. For the season, Houston opponents have shot 59.6% in the paint, which would be the fourth-highest opponent mark in the last 20 years. The Rockets don’t have a history of bad defense. In fact, in the 37 years prior to last season, they ranked in the bottom five defensively just twice, ranking in the top five 13 times over that stretch. But it now looks like a strong possibility that they’ll be in the bottom five for a second straight year. The Rockets are within three wins of their total from last season. But they have the league’s worst point differential (-10.5 points per 100 possessions) in January, with their nine losses having come by an average of 17.1 points. They’ve lost their last 10 games at home, with two more games (against two of the best teams in the league) left on their four-game homestand. Week 16: vs. GSW, vs. CLE, @ SAS, vs. NOP
man, I was relying on @J.R. for my Monday dose of power rankings and he goes ahead and pulls this one on us! anyway. here's the NBA.com one https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-17 29 Last Week: 29 Houston Rockets Record: 15-38 Pace: 101.1 (1) OffRtg: 107.0 (27) DefRtg: 115.5 (30) NetRtg: -8.5 (29) Playing Christian Wood at the four alongside Daniel Theis at the beginning of the season didn’t work very well for the Rockets, who have been outscored by more than 20 points per 100 possessions (scoring an anemic 89.6 per 100) in the bigs’ 346 minutes together. But head coach Stephen Silas is going back to the well, except with Alperen Sengun in Theis’ place. Sengun and Wood didn’t share the floor at all in January, but they’ve played 35 minutes together over three games this month, starting together (with Eric Gordon out) against New Orleans on Sunday. And given the (development) stage that the Rockets are in, it certainly makes more sense to experiment with the rookie than it does with the vet. Wood and Sengun were a plus-12 in a little less than 11 minutes together in the Rockets’ win over Cleveland on Wednesday. But the Rockets were outscored by 26 points (scoring just 37 points on 49 offensive possessions) in their 24 minutes together over the weekend against the Spurs and Pelicans. (Sengun’s spectacular reverse dunk came with Wood on the bench.) For the season, Houston has scored 93.8 points per 100 possessions in 577 total minuteswith Wood on the floor alongside either Sengun or Theis and 110.7 per 100 in 975 total minutes with Wood on the floor without either of them. So it’ll be interesting to see the two-big look can make any progress (and/or how much tolerance Silas has for it) going forward. Of course, the Houston defense has been pretty bad no matter what, and the Rockets are the only team that’s allowed more points per 100 possessions than the Nets over the course of Brooklyn’s eight-game losing streak. The Pels’ 25th-ranked offense scored 120 on 98 possessions on Sunday and will be back for more (with a change of venue) two nights later. Week 17: @ NOP, vs. TOR
holding steady at 29. That's gotta be a good thing, right? https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-18 29 Last Week: 29 Houston Rockets Record: 15-40 Pace: 101.1 (2) OffRtg: 107.0 (27) DefRtg: 115.7 (30) NetRtg: -8.7 (29) The Rockets didn’t trade Eric Gordon at the deadline. Instead, they acquired another veteran guard, and GM Rafael Stone indicated that they’ll be keeping Dennis Schroder. There’s certainly an argument for having veterans around to guide the young core; The Rockets have been outscored by an amazing 19.7 points per 100 possessions in 483 minutes with Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. on the floor without Gordon, but by just 4.1 per 100 in 324 minutes with Gordon on the floor alongside the two youngsters. Of course, there’s one veteran guardon the roster who isn’t around at all. Speaking of veteran-youngster combos, after two games of starting Alperen Sengun alongside Christian Wood, the rookie came off the bench (in favor of Garrison Mathews) on Thursday. Wood and Sengun still played a little less than five minutes together, and the Rockets were outscored by 19 points (somehow allowing 27 points on just 11 defensive possessions) in that time. They lost to the Raptors … by 19 points. The loss (their fourth straight) was the second time this season that the Rockets didn’t attempt a single mid-range shot. No other team has done that once and the Rockets have now taken a lower percentage of their shots from mid-range (4.7%) than they did in any season under Mike D’Antoni. Week 18: @ UTA, @ PHX, @ LAC
https://theathletic.com/3128535/202...t-rating-breakdowns-tell-us-for-all-30-teams/ 30. Houston Rockets (Previously 29th), 15-43, -9.4 net rating Weekly slate: Loss at Jazz, Loss at Suns, Loss at Clippers Rockets Quarter Flow | Week 9 Net Rtg | Week 9 Rank | Week 19 Net Rtg | Week 19 Rank 1st Quarter | -3.9 | 21st | -9.8 | 27th 2nd Quarter | -7.8 | 23rd | -13.4 | 30th 3rd Quarter | -8.7 | 26th | -10.9 | 28th 4th Quarter | -3.0 | 23rd | -3.5 | 24th (t) Clutch Time | -8.6 | 21st | 2.0 | 13th (t) Takeaway: Let’s be positive with the Houston Rockets here, even though we’re throwing them in the last spot in the Power Rankings. Naturally in a rebuilding state like this, we’re going to see some declines. Ideally, you wouldn’t see such dramatic declines quarter-by-quarter for every single one on the board, like we do currently with the Rockets. But where I want to focus is the change in clutch situations. The Rockets actually find themselves with a positive net rating, when 10 weeks ago they were getting crushed. The Rockets are actually 11-10 in the 21 games that have triggered clutch situations this season. That’s pretty impressive for a team with this poor of a record and net rating overall. Young guys learning how to win tight games is integral to what the Rockets are trying to figure out. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...ek-19-where-all-30-teams-stand-all-star-break 29. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 15-43 Previous ranking: 28 No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green, who was the Las Vegas favorite to win the dunk contest at All-Star Weekend but was eliminated in the first round, will have to finish strong to earn All-Rookie honors. He's in the midst of his best month, averaging 16.5 points on 60.4% true shooting, but the Rockets are 1-7 in February. -- MacMahon https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-19 30. Houston Rockets Last Week: 29 ↓ Record: 15-43 Pace: 101.2 (1) OffRtg: 107.1 (27) DefRtg: 116.4 (30) NetRtg: -9.4 (29) The Rockets went into the All-Star break with a seven-game losing streak (their third of seven games or more), though they came close to knocking off the Suns on Wednesday, playing in Phoenix without Kevin Porter Jr. or Christian Wood. Dennis Schroder scored 23 points, though he had six turnovers in his second game with the team that has the worst turnover differential in the league (+3.0 per game). Jae’Sean Tate and Eric Gordon each had turnovers in the final minute and Gordon missed a contested 3 for the tie. The Rockets still have a winning record (11-10) in games that were within five points in the last five minutes, but they’re a league-worst 4-26 against the 15 teams that went into the break with winning records. Their first three post-break games are against teams below .500, though two of those are against the Clippers, who clobbered the Rockets on Thursday. Three numbers to know… 1. The Rockets are the only team that ranks in the bottom five on both ends of the floor. Last season, they were one of two. 2. The Rockets lead the league with 6.4 dunks per game, with 36% of their shots (the league’s highest rate) coming in the restricted area. 3. The Rockets have allowed 24.4 transition points per game, most in the 18 seasons of Synergy play-type tracking, topping their own record of 23.8 two seasons ago. Week 19: @ ORL, vs. LAC
