of NBA Season off! It feels unstoppable. Aside from being here, I think we’ve gotten to where it basically ended, and we’re just treading water until we get to training camp towards the end of September. You may get trade requests from disgruntled stars before the preseason. For the most part, it feels like you know where free agency is and where your roster stands for next season.
So I thought it would be a good time to take a look at how the roster has changed and what that means for all 30 NBA teams. What happened to them last season, whether the team has improved, how they have been successful in their new group, and their four groups of players (lead guard, wing, forward, big) this summer. You can do that by looking at how has changed. We’ll also do a summertime comprehensive assessment and bring in a local or national expert to answer his three pressing questions about this team.
How each team’s offseason ended depends on what their goals are for building their group.The stats available for the 30 teams are:
- Franchise rebuild
- Tired of rebuilding franchises
- Play-in tournaments bring them to life
- playoff hope
- brink of strife
- Contender
- championship or bust
Today is houston rockets (20-62), continuing the rebuilding process of gathering as many foundational talents as possible.
Overall performance from offseason: B+
Team Status: Rebuilding Franchise
how was last season?
The Houston Rockets promised a rebuilding process in the 2020-21 campaign, but the 2021-22 season was their first full campaign to break it down and hand over the steering wheel to young players. As expected, the Rockets lost many games and finished with the lowest number of wins in the NBA (20-62). They made some moves during the season, but nothing significant enough to shake up the process.
Jalen GreenThe 2021 No. 2 overall pick averaged 20.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 59.2 shots in the final 32 games of the season after a poor start to his rookie season, missing time in December. rate was recorded. With that same stretch, Kevin Porter Jr. He went from a low shooting percentage (49.8% true shooting) and high turnovers (3.7 per game) to 18.2 points and 6.1 assists in his first 33 games. , 4.7 rebounds and just 2.5 turnovers per game. 56.4 Post true rate of fire. That’s a phenomenal improvement over the course of a season for a guy who’s never played a point guard full time. alperen army, Josh Christopher And KJ Martin all had an epiphany in their respective roles.
Jashaun Tate It’s been a great season for his role. Eric Gordon Very efficient when he was healthy. Christian Wood We put up good numbers, but in the end, the team was just bad because they were designed to be bad. Steven Cyrus has done the job of shaping the youth of this team, and the team has done that job by securing another high draft pick for Rafael Stone and his company to utilize in the rebuilding process.
position change
You may disagree about which players are in a particular group, but I’m basing my overall impression on where they belonged and possibly next season. Not ordered in the expected depth chart. Also, many trades take place on draft night, where a player trades he is drafted by one team for trades dictated by his partner. So we’re doing a catch-all of players acquired on draft night who were drafted by the current team. It’s easier.
Check out David Aldridge’s Team Offseason Rankings. Rockets he is 9th.
Changes to Houston’s lead guard
| lead guard | 2021-22 players | 2022-23 players |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Kevin Porter Jr. |
Kevin Porter Jr. |
|
2 |
Denise Schroeder |
Titi Washington |
|
3 |
Daishen Nicks |
Daishen Nicks |
|
Four |
John Wall |
Trey Burke |
|
Five |
X |
Trevor Hudgins |
(The lead guard is considered the primary initiator from backcourt positions.)
transaction: TyTy Washington Jr. Picked No. 29 Pick | Trey Burke | | Abandoned John Wall | | Signed Trevor Hudgins for two-way transactions
Has Houston improved here? Technically, the Rockets have fallen in talent, but we have to remember that Wall didn’t really play for them last season. Dennis Schrader Burke had a decent run in Dallas for just over two seasons, but he’s the type to break glass in case of emergency. is the man of While we love picking up Washington in the draft, this group is made by Porter’s comfort in his second season as lead initiator.
Changes to Wings of Houston
| wings | 2021-22 players | 2022-23 players |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Jalen Green |
Jalen Green |
|
2 |
Eric Gordon |
Eric Gordon |
|
3 |
Jashaun Tate |
Jashaun Tate |
|
Four |
Kenyon Martin Jr. |
Kenyon Martin Jr. |
|
Five |
Garrison Matthews |
David Nuwaba |
|
6 |
Josh Christopher |
Josh Christopher |
|
7 |
David Nuwaba |
sterling brown |
|
8 |
Trevelin Queen |
X |
|
9 |
Anthony Lam |
X |
(The Wings do some playmaking, but are primarily there to get the job done off the perimeter in various scoring or 3-D roles.)
transaction: Suppliers sterling brown | | Jae’Sean Tate re-signs (3 years, $22.1 million)
Has Houston improved here? The Rockets have gotten better on the wing after just one year under Green’s belt. Re-signing Tate is a nice pay rise for him and he continues to add a significant element to this team.Martin and Christopher have a real chance to carve out more significant roles this season. Acquiring Brown in the wood trade was also a nice addition for the veteran.
Houston change to forward
| forward | 2021-22 players | 2022-23 players |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Usman Galba |
Jabari Smith Jr. |
|
2 |
X |
Tali Eason |
|
3 |
X |
Usman Galba |
|
Four |
X |
Marquise Chris |
(Not exactly a winger across the board, but a bigger player who hasn’t played big enough and consistently to earn the full-time “big” distinction.)
transaction: drafted Jabari Smith Jr. With 3rd Pick | Draft Tali Eason 17th Pick | Traded for Marquise Chris
Has Houston improved here? A huge improvement for Houston at the forward position, especially considering they were mostly wings and bigs, especially when it came to roster building last season. They got Smith and Eason in the draft. Smith is going to give them the option of a good defender and a great floor stretch.Eason was one of the biggest hits of his league this summer in Las Vegas and people are wondering how he is doing his 17 I was already wondering if I had fallen.Chris continues to pursue a role-playing career, but the Rockets probably would rather Usman Galba Step up to second year.
Changes to Houston’s Biggs
| Biggs | 2021-22 players | 2022-23 players |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Christian Wood |
alperen army |
|
2 |
alperen army |
Boban Marjanovic |
|
3 |
Bruno Fernando |
Bruno Fernando |
(Big shot. It’s pretty self-explanatory.)
transaction: Christian Wood traded to Dallas | Boban Marjanovic | | Resigning Bruno Fernando (Appendix 10)
Has Houston improved here? I like what the Rockets did with the wood trade. He’s fought to find his footing in the NBA and has the ability to grab the stats, but the Rockets have decided to avoid whatever his next contract is. They got depth and draft picks and eventually turned it over for Washington’s selection. will see
Is Kevin Porter Jr. the Rockets’ future point guard? (Troy Taormina/USA Today)
Has your team improved?
absolutely. I don’t think Wood is the one who gave the Rockets winning basketball. We can already see great players fitting into the culture and talent pool the Rockets are trying to build. Witnessing Green and Porter’s notable leaps over the course of the season, along with the flashes of Sengun, Christopher and Martin, gives the Rockets a great foundation to preach the developmental practices of Cyrus and his coaching staff. This is a development that will determine if this is the season when they can start winning quickly and stop worrying too much about lottery balls in May.
What does that mean for next season?
We’re still seeing a lot of losses from the Rockets. The question is whether it will be a close and frustrating loss or a disappointing crushing loss. They lost 15 games last season by more than 20 points (the third-most in the NBA), but only six occurred between the beginning of February and the end of the season. If the Rockets can turn into a team that is a pain to play in the second half of next season, that would be a successful step.
3 Quick Questions for Kelly Iko, Rockets Beat Reporter athletic
What are reasonable expectations for sophomore Jalen Green?
The version of Green we saw towards the end of his rookie season — efficient, confident and explosive scoring ability — should be on the menu for his second season. Green said he averaged 17 points per game in 2021-22, but should be able to clear the 20-point threshold with relative ease. This offseason, he’s been working on improving his physique in addition to ball-handling and playmaking. Improvements in all three areas will undoubtedly put him in a bigger arsenal this season.
Will Kevin Porter Jr.’s point guard experiment continue?
The underlying theme of this year. It could be argued that the most important aspect of Houston’s turnaround is determining whether Porter, alongside Green, will be the long-term answer. Layoffs come to mind quickly — but like Green, he enjoyed a fruitful end to 2021-22.the porter said athletic He internalized his strong play to end the season, saying it slowed the game down and gave him a better sense of passing angles and half-court setups. It’s clear he wants a contract extension before, and Porter doesn’t want that to be a distraction.
Will Jabari Smith Jr. be able to transition smoothly into the role previously held by Christian Wood?
Smith seems to be exactly what the Rockets need from a stretch-big perspective. True defensive versatility and he’s a deadly knockdown his shooter with a 6-foot-10 frame. One of the reasons Wood has struggled to find a smooth fit in Houston is that he has a slightly different view of his offensive ability and use/integration as opposed to how teams do best. It’s because Smith doesn’t demand a ton of touches like Wood does, instead closing gaps at halfcourt, making simple plays and quality releases his valve when called upon. Both players share limited on-ball abilities, but Smith’s selflessness will love him under Cyrus and plan for any new attacks he has.
Goals for team status by the end of 2022-23: Tired of rebuilding
(Top photo by Jalen Green: Troy Taormina / USA Today)
