https://theathletic.com/3140060/202...ter-grades-and-a-prediction-for-all-30-teams/ 30. Houston Rockets (Previously 30th), 15-45, -9.2 net rating Weekly slate: Loss at Magic, Loss to Clippers First Quarter Grade: D- | Ranked 27th Second Quarter Grade: D | Ranked 29th Third Quarter Grade: D- How we feeling? The Houston Rockets knew they were going to be bad this season, and they were prepared to throw everything into developing the young guys. It’s a big reason why they told John Wall he wouldn’t be involved on the court prior to the season starting. They were probably hoping for a little more out of some of the young guys, especially when it comes to second overall pick Jalen Green. But even though he’s had some rough patches this season, he’s also had some very encouraging stretches, as well. They wanted Kevin Porter Jr. to be a full-time point guard, and there were good stretches and bad stretches for him, as well. For the most part, the young guys showed enough flashes to feel excellent about the offseason Rafael Stone had in 2021. If they nail this upcoming lottery pick, this rebuilding process might be quicker than most assume. Prediction for the final stretch: Jalen Green finishes the season on a tear by putting up an efficient 20 points per game, and building all kinds of excitement for his second season. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...mphis-grizzlies-brooklyn-nets-impress-weekend 29. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 15-45 Previous ranking: 29 Guard Eric Gordon, the subject of much discussion before the trade deadline, has struggled since the Rockets opted to keep him for at least the rest of the season. Gordon, who dealt with a case of plantar fasciitis, has shot only 39.0% from the floor in five games since returning. Houston has been outscored by 63 points with Gordon on the floor during that span. -- MacMahon https://www.si.com/nba/2022/02/28/nba-power-rankings-post-all-star-break-observations 30. Houston Rockets Current record: 15–45 Previous ranking: 27 Sunday night’s loss to the Clippers was closer than usual (99–98). It was a loss all the same, though, the ninth in a row for Houston. The Rockets allow opponents an NBA-high 118.2 PPG on average, which would be the highest scoring average for any team by more than four points per game. Houston owns the worst record in the West and is in contention for bottom in the league. https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-20 30. Houston Rockets Last Week: 30 Record: 15-45 Pace: 101.2 (1) OffRtg: 107.0 (27) DefRtg: 116.1 (30) NetRtg: -9.2 (29) A loss to the Clippers on Tuesday would give the Rockets their second double-digit losing streak of the season. After that game against the 32-31 Clippers, they’ll play four games against teams no worse than the 36-25 Nuggets, and Houston is a league-worst 4-28 against the 16 teams currently over .500. But two of the Rockets’ last three losses against that group were within a point in the final minute, and their loss to the Clippers on Sunday was their best defensive game (99 points allowed on 97 possessions) since November. Among the eight Rockets that have played at least 900 minutes, the defense has been at its worst (117.4 points allowed per 100 possessions) with Jalen Green on the floor. That number is actually the second-worst on-court mark among 218 players who’ve averaged at least 20 minutes per game (lower than only that of Norman Powell). But Green had one of his best offensive gams of the season in Orlando on Friday, scoring 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting. His four 3-pointers included one pretty wicked step-back against Mo Bamba, and he showed how he can use his speed in the half-court, blasting past Terrence Ross and getting to the rim before help could arrive. His transition speed was there, too. Green’s career high (30 points) came in the third game of the season. His highest-scoring game since then (29 on Jan. 1) came against the Nuggets, who the Rockets will visit on Friday. Week 20: vs. LAC, vs. UTA, @ DEN, vs. MEM
https://theathletic.com/3154150/202...htime-locks-and-liabilities-for-all-30-teams/ 30. Houston Rockets (Previously 30th), 16-48, -8.9 net rating Weekly slate: Loss to Clippers, Loss to Jazz, Loss at Nuggets, Win over Grizzlies Clutch profile: 12-13 | Offense: 109.9 (13th) | Defense: 109.6 (21st) | +0.3 net rating (15th) Go-to guy: Eric Gordon | 47 points on 30 shots | 56.7/29.4/66.7 shooting splits | 10 assists, 7 turnovers Potential liability: Kevin Porter Jr. | 24 points on 17 shots | 35.3/37.5/75.0 shooting splits | 7 assists, 6 turnovers The Houston Rockets, for as bad as they’ve been most of this season, compete quite well in these clutch moments. The defense isn’t good, but it’s not atrocious. The offense has been competitive, and they’re almost a .500 team in the clutch. I think this speaks to the makeup of this primarily young roster, which should bode well for the future. I also just think Stephen Silas is an excellent coach who will do some good things when his guys have enough experience and development. Gordon being their most reliable crunchtime guy isn’t surprising. He’s been doing this a long time, and he’s not rattled by the moment. Christian Wood struggled a bit, but he had some big shots recently against Utah in the clutch to boost his numbers. Porter is probably their biggest liability here because he’s struggled to create consistent offense this season. He did have a big game-winner, so he’s not afraid to take the shot, but he needs to do a better job of creating offense for himself and the team down the stretch. It’s his first year as a primary playmaker, so it’s not a big deal yet. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...-rematch-lebron-james-jayson-tatum-go-50-plus 30. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 16-48 Previous ranking: 29 Jalen Green's rookie season is following a pattern similar to 2020 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards -- a rough first half followed by significant improvement. Green has averaged 18.1 points on 46.7% shooting in 14 games since the start of February. He's scored at least 20 points in five of the last seven games, including his 24-point performance Sunday, when the Rockets snapped a 12-game losing streak with an upset over the Grizzlies. -- MacMahon https://www.si.com/nba/2022/03/07/nba-power-rankings-lebron-james-lakers-scoring-surge 29. Houston Rockets Current record: 16–48 Previous ranking: 30 The losing streak is over! The Rockets ended their 12-game skid with a win over the Grizzlies on Sunday, thanks to big nights from Kevin Porter Jr., Christian Wood and Jalen Green. They’ll have an opportunity to make it two in a row Monday, but it won’t be easy against the East-leading Heat. https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-21 30. Houston Rockets Last Week: 30 Record: 16-48 Pace: 101.1 (1) OffRtg: 107.1 (27) DefRtg: 116.1 (30) NetRtg: -8.9 (29) As the Rockets’ latest losing streak ran to 12 games, there were clear signs of progress … on offense, at least. Christian Wood shot better than 50% from the field and 40% from 3-point range over the streak, even totaling 10 assists against Utah and Denver last week. And as they pushed the Jazz to overtime on Wednesday, Jalen Green had one of his best games, scoring 27 points on 11-for-16 shooting, with much more polish to his game than he had early in the season. Of course, the defense was brutal, allowing 121 points per 100 possessions over the losing streak. But the Rockets busted through against Memphis on Sunday, coming back from 14 points down and scoring 71 points on 48 second-half possessions against a top-10 defense. Wood had 28 points (on 8-for-12 shooting and 8-for-11 from the line) and 13 rebounds, also thwarting multiple Ja Morant drives in the second half. Green and Kevin Porter Jr., meanwhile, had their highest combined scoring output of the season, totaling 53 points, including 24 (on 12-for-18 shooting) in the paint. Since the All-Star break, the Rockets have outscored their opponents by 6.3 points per 100 possessions in 110 total minutes with Green, Porter and Wood on the floor together. Week 21: @ MIA, vs. LAL, vs. DAL, @ NOP
https://theathletic.com/3167087/202...yoff-odds-key-matchups-left-for-all-30-teams/ 30. Houston Rockets (Previously 30th), 17-51, -9.1 net rating Weekly slate: Loss at Heat, Win over Lakers, Loss to Mavs, Loss at Pelicans Basketball-Reference Playoff Odds: 100 percent Miss Play-In Magic Number to Elimination: 3 Remaining Strength of Schedule Ranking (toughness): 10th in West | 18th in NBA Games Remaining: 14 | 5 road games, 9 home games Key Matchups Remaining: Indiana, at Portland, at Portland (back-to-back), Sacramento, Sacramento Lottery push lookahead: A couple of surprise wins this past week and a half have put the Houston Rockets in shouting range of not ending up with the worst record in the NBA. Stephen Silas is coaching quite well, and we’re seeing some of this young talent start to really jell. Remember that he started the season with four teenagers on the roster. They don’t have a tough schedule the rest of the way, but they do have a tough enough schedule. We’ll see who is even available for Portland in its two games against Houston, and Sacramento will play the Rockets a couple of times. Those are very winnable games for the Rockets, and Jalen Green leading this team with Alperen Sengun to potentially lessen some lottery odds could make the end of this season fun but confusing. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...-rising-falling-start-season-final-month-push 30. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 17-51 Previous ranking: 30 The Rockets opted to guarantee next season's salaries for Garrison Mathews ($2 million) and Kenyon Martin Jr. ($1.8 million), sources told ESPN. Houston had until June 29 to make the decision, but the front office felt no need to wait, as Mathews and Martin have proven themselves as young role players who fit in the Rockets' long-term rebuilding plan. -- MacMahon https://www.si.com/nba/2022/03/14/nba-power-rankings-lebron-james-kevin-durant-gregg-popovich 28. Houston Rockets Current Record: 17–51 Previous Ranking: 29 After snapping their 12-game losing streak last Sunday, the Rockets suffered losses to the Heat, Mavericks and Pelicans this week. The constant turnovers leading to points for opposing teams remains an issue for Houston, which leads the league in turnovers per game (16.6). https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-22 30. Houston Rockets Last Week: 30 Record: 17-51 Pace: 101.2 (1) OffRtg: 107.2 (27) DefRtg: 116.3 (30) NetRtg: -9.1 (30) Jalen Green hasn’t been as consistent as Cade Cunningham over these last few weeks, and given the way they play (as well as their size and strength), he might not ever be as consistent as the guy picked ahead of him. But Green has made similarly noticeable progress since the beginning of the season, and he hit another high note on Wednesday, scoring a career-high 32 points (on 13-for-21 shooting) in a win over the Lakers, with 10 of those 32 coming in overtime. Green is one of 28 players who’ve averaged at least 20 points (in eight games or more) since the All-Star break, and his post-break effective field goal percentage (56.7%) is in the upper half of that group. His true shooting percentage (58.0%) is in the bottom half because he’s not getting to the line as much. His post-break free throw rate (15.3 attempts per 100 shots from the field) is down from 28.5 before the break and ranks last among those 28 20-point scorers. He still has the third most free throw attempts for the team that leads the league in free throw rate. Green has been a much more efficient scorer at home, where the Rockets will play nine of their final 14 games. That includes visits from the two top teams in the Western Conference this week. The Rockets are 2-17 against the West’s top six, having beaten the Grizzlies at home eight days ago. Week 22: vs. PHX, vs. IND, vs. MEM
https://theathletic.com/3182060/202...ier-plus-a-bit-of-nostalgia-for-all-30-teams/ 30. Houston Rockets (Previously 30th), 17-54, -9.3 net rating Weekly slate: Loss to Suns; loss to Pacers; loss to Grizzlies Blast from the past: The Houston Rockets have had some brilliant all-time players, some of the most incredible talents we’ll ever see pick up a basketball. But I’m not going to talk about Hakeem Olajuwon or Tracy McGrady or Clyde Drexler or James Harden or Steve Francis or even Bob Sura. One of the greatest moments in Rockets history happened with the Chuck Hayes free-throw hiccups. Hayes was roughly a 6-foot-5 fire hydrant who played center despite his lack of height because he was smart and strong as hell. But he developed this weird hitch in his free-throw shooting motion. I don’t need to describe this much more than that. I’ll let Chuck and Allen Iverson take it away. Why are they ranked here? The Rockets knew they’d have a tough season with winning games, and they’re just trying to keep building with the young guys to finish out the year. But yeah, this is a bad team in the present. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...adds-another-milestone-lakers-continue-falter 30. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 17-54 Previous ranking: 30 Houston has won only two of its past 20 games, giving the Rockets the league's worst record, which would guarantee a top-five pick. The growth of Jalen Green, the No. 2 overall pick in last summer's draft, has been a silver lining, as he has averaged 18.2 points on .472/.375/.732 shooting splits during that span. But the Rockets' defense (NBA-worst 116.5 points allowed per 100 possessions) is awful, even by tanking standards. -- MacMahon https://www.si.com/nba/2022/03/21/nba-power-rankings-one-big-question-for-every-team 29. Houston Rockets Current record: 17-54 Previous ranking: 28 Is Jalen Green making The Leap? Houston’s dynamic rookie is on a scoring tear since the All-Star break, taking advantage of increased usage en route to 20.3 points per game on 49.2% from the field and 36.6% from three. Green is perhaps the game’s most explosive guard as he bursts to the rim, and he’s looking increasingly comfortable pulling up from the midrange as defenses (smartly) sag into the lane. Don’t let Green’s ugly start to the season obscure his future outlook. He’s a potential 25-points-per-game scorer, one who is just beginning to unlock the outer reaches of his potential. https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-23 30. Houston Rockets Last Week: 30 Record: 17-54 Pace: 101.2 (2) OffRtg: 107.2 (27) DefRtg: 116.5 (30) NetRtg: -9.3 (30) The Rockets remain the only team that ranks in the bottom five on both ends of the floor. Their best chance to shed that distinction is on offense, and they’ll play seven of their final 11 games against teams that rank in the bottom 10 defensively. That includes two games each against the 29th-ranked Blazers and 28th-ranked Kings. With the league average having seen a drop of 0.9 points per 100 possessions from last season (111.7), the Rockets have actually seen a small jump. They lead the league in free throw rate (28.6 attempts per 100 shots from the field), having seen the third biggest jump from last season. They’ve also seen the fourth-biggest jump in effective field goal percentage, and for the 10th straight season, they lead the league in the percentage of their shots (81%) that have come from the restricted area or 3-point range. There are five players that have taken more mid-range shots than the Rockets (308), with DeMar DeRozan having attempted 2.1 times as many. The Rockets have had one huge Achilles heel offensively. And they’re set to be the first team in 16 years to have committed at least 1.0 more turnovers per 100 possessions than any other team. The difference between them (16.4 per 100) and the 29th-ranked Cavs (15.1) is the same as the difference between the Cavs and the 12th-ranked Thunder (13.8). Week 23: vs. WAS, @ DAL, @ POR, @ POR
https://theathletic.com/3196700/202...ng-and-questionable-lineups-for-all-30-teams/ 28. Houston Rockets (Previously 30th), 20-55, -8.3 net rating Weekly slate: Win over Wizards, Loss at Mavs, Win at Blazers, Win at Blazers Promising lineup: Kevin Porter Jr. | Eric Gordon | Jalen Green | Jae’Sean Tate | Christian Wood Last time we checked: 169 minutes | +0.5 net rating Updated numbers: 352 minutes | +0.2 net rating I actually think this is a massive positive for the Houston Rockets over the course of a season. The Rockets aren’t good, and they’re not trying to be good. They’re just trying to be developmental in the way they approach mixing these young guys with the veterans. This lineup shows a great example of this. They’ve managed to score well and not get entirely embarrassed defensively. Considering Porter and Green aren’t equipped to contribute to winning basketball yet, this means their level of competitiveness has stayed steady all season. Both young guys show great promise, and Green still feels like a budding star who will take a leap next season. Great coaching from Stephen Silas here. Questionable lineup: Kevin Porter Jr. | Jalen Green | Jae’Sean Tate | Christian Wood | Daniel Theis Last time we checked: 172 minutes | -26.1 net rating Updated numbers: 172 minutes | -26.1 net rating The Rockets never added to this brutal lineup’s minutes, and they ended up trading Theis back to Boston at the deadline, so we’ll never get a chance to see if this pairing of big men could work over an even greater extended stretch. That’s fine for the Rockets though. It netted them Dennis Schröder, whom they decided to keep and play, and Bruno Fernando, who’s had a sprinkling of minutes. The Rockets have guaranteed they’ll finish with top-four odds in the lottery, and we’ve seen some fun growth from the young guys. Successful rebuilding season. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...e-irving-propel-brooklyn-nets-play-tournament 30. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 20-55 Previous ranking: 30 In Saturday's win over the Trail Blazers, Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun became the fourth pair of rookie teammates in Rockets history to each score at least 25 points in a game, and they're the first since Cuttino Mobley and Michael Dickerson in 1999, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. They have been bright spots for the rebuilding Rockets since the All-Star break, as Green has averaged 19.1 points with a 57.7 true shooting percentage and Sengun has averaged 11.1 points and 6.6 rebounds off the bench. -- MacMahon https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-24 28. Houston Rockets Last Week: 30 ↑ Record: 20-55 Pace: 101.0 (2) OffRtg: 107.6 (27) DefRtg: 115.9 (30) NetRtg: -8.3 (30) The Rockets have suddenly won three of their last four games to draw even with the Pistons and Magic at 20 wins. With league-wide offense off the charts this month, the 3-1 stretch has been the Rockets’ best stretch of defense (105.9 points allowed per 100 possessions) since Thanksgiving. Of course, it comes with the context that the three wins have come against the Wizards and Blazers (x2). Still, those two wins over Portland have the Rockets in position to climb out of the basement in defensive efficiency, as they’ve now (for the season) allowed just 0.1 more points per 100 possessions than the Blazers have. The Rockets are one of only four teams that have allowed fewer points per 100 since the break (114.2, 14th) than they did before it (116.4, 30th by a wide margin). Even if they climb out of the basement, the Rockets will rank in the bottom five defensively for the second straight season. They ranked 27th last season and only six teams have seen a bigger jump in points allowed per 100 possessions. The Rockets’ defense has struggled most inside. They rank last in opponent field goal percentage in the paint by a healthy margin, while also ranking 24th in both in defensive rebounding percentage and opponent free throw rate. The issues in the paint obviously start in transition. The Rockets have allowed 25.0 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 24: vs. SAS, vs. SAC, vs. SAC, vs. MIN
https://theathletic.com/3213459/202...uccess-and-final-week-focus-for-all-30-teams/ 27. Houston Rockets (Previously 28th), 20-59, -8.2 net rating Weekly slate: Loss to Spurs, Loss to Kings, Loss to Kings, Loss to Wolves Was this season a success? I went to talk to the Houston Rockets for SiriusXM NBA Radio during the preseason and spoke with Rafael Stone and Stephen Silas for a couple of our interviews. The message and motivation of the coach and front office were pretty clear. They didn’t pretend the playoffs might be on the horizon. They wanted to develop talent for the future success of this organization while giving themselves the best chance to add to it. That’s exactly what they’ve done. There is real excitement over Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun. There is real excitement over what Kevin Porter Jr. has shown in flashes. And they know adding another top pick to the mix is going to give them a lot of hope for the future. Successful season indeed. Remaining schedule: Nets (road), Raptors (road), Hawks (home) Final week focus: The Rockets don’t really need to worry too much about positioning, so I say send Rockets fans out this season on a high note. What’s that look like? Probably a massive game from one of the young guys, maybe even someone like Green putting up 40 or more points in a game to give a preview of coming attractions. GIF ON THE BEAT: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...eek-25-risers-fallers-seeding-battles-heat-up 30. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 20-59 Previous ranking: 30 Jalen Green has joined some Hall of Fame company with his active streak of four straight 30-point performances. The last two rookies to accomplish that feat: Allen Iverson in 1996-97 and Michael Jordan in 1984-85. The only other Rockets rookie to have such a scoring run was Elvin Hayes in 1968-69. Green has six 30-point games this season, more than a third of the rookie class' total. -- MacMahon https://www.si.com/nba/2022/04/04/nba-power-rankings-playoff-race-nets-lakers-warriors 29. Houston Rockets Current record: 20–59 Previous ranking: 29 It was a week of losses for the Rockets, who stand 3.5 games behind the Thunder at last place in the West. Houston plays three teams in the playoff race to close the season: the Nets, Raptors and Hawks. Like other teams out of contention, Houston can play spoiler. https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2021-22-week-25 29. Houston Rockets Last Week: 28 ↓ Record: 20-59 Pace: 101.2 (2) OffRtg: 108.0 (27) DefRtg: 116.2 (29) NetRtg: -8.2 (29) The journey from where the Rockets are now back to where they were two years ago is a lot tougher (and usually much longer) than the trip was from the top to the bottom. But the seeds have been planted, and Jalen Green looks like the kind of player that will grow quite a bit in the next few years. He’s already grown quite a bit in the last five months, registering an effective field goal percentage of 56.7% since Feb. 1, up from 44.0% prior to that. Over the last six games, Green has averaged 29.0 points, shooting 33-for-72 (46%) from 3-point range. Green was part of a starting lineup (done for the season with both Eric Gordon and Christian Wood shut down) that outscored its opponents by 10.9 points per 100 possessions (allowing only 101.3 per 100) in its 114 minutes after the All-Star break. That gave it a positive differential (plus-0.2 per 100) in 352 total minutes for the season. Even being shut down early, Gordon played more than twice as many games (57) as he did last season (27), and he registered career-high marks in effective field goal percentage (58.5%) and true shooting percentage (61.4%). With one year left on his contract, some contenders could come calling. As things stand, the Rockets have both their own first round pick and that of the Nets, which will likely be 15th or 16th (certainly better than expected). Oh yeah, John Wall is still on this roster with a year left on his deal (it’s safe to assume he exercises his player option), and it would be nice if there was some sort of resolution in that regard. Week 25: @ BKN, @ TOR, vs. ATL
https://theathletic.com/3228521/2022/04/11/nba-power-rankings-final-grades/ 27. Houston Rockets (Previously 27th), 20-62, -8.3 net rating Weekly slate: Loss at Nets, Loss at Raptors, Loss to Hawks First-quarter grade: D- | Ranked 27th Second-quarter grade: D | Ranked 29th Third-quarter grade: D- | Ranked 30th Final regular-season grade: D Season takeaway: My biggest disappointment with the Houston Rockets this season was just the fact that they were dominated so much. The Rockets finished with the most double-digit losses in the NBA. Losing games was always the goal, but you hope there’s a little more competition. It’s a big reason John Wall didn’t get involved with this season. The Rockets wanted to ensure they get a high pick in this upcoming draft. But the goal was always to have Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., Alperen Sengun, Josh Christopher and the other young guys take their lumps. That happened. It took Green a while to get going, but once he did, the light at the end of the tunnel got a little brighter. What’s next for the Rockets? It will be interesting to see how much the Rockets keep with the “extreme” rebuild strategy (whatever extreme means in a post-Sam Hinkie world). Green is going to be a star. They’ve got some other potentially high-level role players to develop on this roster. We know they’ll have another high pick in this draft. But will they move Eric Gordon and Christian Wood at some point or keep these veterans around to help the young guys? GIF ON THE BEAT: https://www.si.com/nba/2022/04/11/nba-power-rankings-play-in-playoffs-suns-grizzlies-heat-nets 27. Houston Rockets Current record: 20–62 Previous ranking: 29 Houston showed as much promise as a team can during a seven-game losing streak to finish with the league’s worst record. Rookie Jalen Green scored a season-high 41 points in the regular-season finale and Kevin Porter Jr. had a strong final week alongside him in the backcourt. For their struggles, the Rockets will pick near the top of the draft for the second year in a row.
Does this belong in the 2021-22 thread or 2022-23 thread? Need an official ruling @Os Trigonum https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...e-warriors-boston-celtics-every-team-check-in 29. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 20-62 Result: Missed postseason 2023 title odds: +100000 It's still early in the Rockets' rebuild. Houston needs to land a franchise cornerstone with the No. 3 overall pick to pair with Jalen Green, who had a promising finish to his rookie year. There has been hope that Kevin Porter Jr. can be that type of player, but the Rockets are expected to approach his rookie extension talks with caution -- if at all. After dealing Christian Wood to the Mavericks, Eric Gordon remains as a productive veteran whose best value to the Rockets is probably as trade bait. -- MacMahon
https://theathletic.com/3447356/2022/08/03/nba-power-rankings-2022-offseason/ 27. Houston Rockets Major additions: Jabari Smith Jr. (draft), Tari Eason (draft), TyTy Washington Jr. (draft), Boban Marjanović (trade), Marquese Chriss (trade) Major subtractions: Christian Wood (Dallas), John Wall (Clippers), Trevelin Queen (Philadelphia), Dennis Schröder (free agent) Did this team get better? In terms of talent on the team, the Houston Rockets are still probably in the same boat we saw last season. John Wall didn’t play, so his leaving doesn’t impact them in games. Wood is better than the rookie version of Smith, but Wood wasn’t exactly bringing the Rockets winning basketball. Once again, Rafael Stone had a phenomenal draft. The Rockets have so much potential, but it will take a long time to mold that potential into winning basketball. Great rebuild since the James Harden trade. Stephen Silas has a lot to utilize. Do we like what they did? [rocket emoji] GIF on the beat:
