https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...in-durants-return-boosts-suns-celtics-on-top/ 29. Rockets: The Rockets beat the Pistons this week, but the other three games didn't go so well. Kevin Porter Jr. has come on of late, putting up 27.5 points per game this week on 50% 3-point shooting. https://theathletic.com/4350402/2023/04/03/nba-power-rankings-week-25/ 28. Houston Rockets (previously 28th) | 19-60 | -8.8 net rating Weekly slate: Loss at Knicks, Loss at Nets, Win over Pistons, Loss to Lakers What makes this season a success? I honestly have no idea. I could talk about a certain draft pick they could end up getting. Sure, Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson or whatever. But nothing is going to truly help without a culture change. There is a ton of good, young potential on this team. They’ll hit on at least half of them, probably. But everything coming from this organization sounds like a mess. Stephen Silas is clearly the wrong coach for them, but there is no standard of accountability that has been set by the organization. So that has to happen before the next coach comes in. One player is not going to help this. It’s like the Rockets forgot everything that matters about building a culture and just decided this would be franchise mode of NBA 2K. https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2022-23-week-25 #28 HOUSTON ROCKETS Record: 19-60 OffRtg: 110.4 (27) DefRtg: 119.2 (29) NetRtg: -8.8 (29) Pace: 99.6 (16) This obviously wasn’t going to be a competitive team, and 61% of the Rockets’ minutes have come from rookies or second-year players, the league’s highest rate by a wide margin and what would be the third-highest rate for any team in the last 20 years. But it would have been nice to have seen more progress. They might not finish with the league’s worst record for a third straight season, but the Rockets are very close and, if there’s been an improvement on either end of the floor, it’s been minimal. In fact, the Rockets are set to be the first team in almost 30 years to finish in the bottom five in both offensive and defensive efficiency in three straight seasons. The last team to do so — the Mavs in 1991-92, ’92-93 and ’93-94 — did it in a 27-team league. Jabari Smith has had better offensive numbers since the All-Star break (14.3 points on an effective field goal percentage of 49.6%) than he did prior (12.0 on 46.3%). He’s got a pretty stroke inside the arc, so it might not be a coincidence that he’s seen a big drop in 3-point rate, from 48.7% of his shots before the break to 36.5% since. (He’s not the only Rocket who’s struggled from deep; Kevin Porter Jr. is their only player who’s shot 36% or better on at least 100 3-point attempts.) Alperen Sengun took a real step forward from his rookie season, cutting down on turnovers and scoring more efficiently. Jalen Green? Not so much. He’s scored 40 points or more four times and has seen a significant jump in free throw rate. But, with a jump in usage rate, he’s seen a drop in effective field goal percentage, with a bigger drop in his field goal percentage in the paint (from 53.2% to 49.6%) than in his effective field goal percentage from outside the paint (from 49.1% to 47.5%). The Rockets are in the middle of the pack in regard to ball movement, but their offense has been less than cohesive, registering the second-worst assist/turnover ratio (1.38) for any team in the last five seasons. That’s one reason (but not the only one) their transition defense has been terrible, allowing the most transition points per game (27.2) in 19 seasons of Synergy tracking. There’s a lot to be cleaned up, but talent matters most, and another top-six pick is on its way. Week 25: vs. DEN, @ CHA, @ WAS
"It’s like the Rockets forgot everything that matters about building a culture and just decided this would be franchise mode of NBA 2K."
28 in the waaaayyyyyy toooooo early power rankings https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...-way-too-early-edition-our-first-look-2023-24 28. Houston Rockets 2022-23 record: 22-60 Result: Missed postseason 2024 title odds: +9000 Tilman Fertitta has declared that "Phase 2" of the Rockets' rebuild began with the hiring of coach Ime Udoka, and the billionaire team owner expects Houston to be competitive next season. The long-rumored return of James Harden would help in that regard, but would bringing back "The Beard" stunt the development of Jalen Green? That's a concern Green expressed on Paul George's podcast. -- MacMahon
