It’s another disappointing season for the Rockets, and it’s another offseason of difficult decisions ahead as the Rockets deal with the reality of a third straight non-playoff campaign and an NBA Lottery selection.
The heavy lifting began a day after the season ended for the Rockets when head coach Stephen Silas was let go after three seasons in which the team never won more than 22 games and was a collective 59-117 in that span.
But that is just the start of some difficult decisions the Rockets will have to make this offseason as they attempt to get a talented young core of players moving in the right direction. There is little question the Rockets have assembled the best young talent of any NBA team, headlined by Lottery picks Jalen Green and Jabari Smith, along with former first rounders Alperen Sengun, Kevin Porter, Jr. and Tari Eason.
The complication is they are all young, with Porter being the oldest as a third-year NBA player. The Rockets, who finished 22-60 this season, are tied with the Spurs for the second worst record in the league, ahead of only the Pistons.
Fittingly, all three have 14% odds of winning next month’s NBA Lottery, where the prize will be getting to select Frenchman Victor Wembanyama with the No.1 overall pick in June’s NBA Draft.
After that, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone and whoever is hired as the Rockets new coach have plenty of big decisions to make with roughly $60 million is salary cap for free agency shopping.
Here are some of the big questions the Rockets must answer this season.
Who will be the next head coach?
There are several intriguing names that are floating around, but abruptly fired Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka makes the most sense. Udoka, a disciple of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, guided the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals in his one and only season as their head coach. Udoka found himself in trouble with the team last offseason due to an inappropriate relationship with a co-worker, and after an odd suspension, he was finally fired. But after the job he did with an underachieving Celtics team, he is the ideal replacement for Silas. The Rockets will likely have competition from Detroit for Udoka’s services, so they must act quickly. Other interesting coaching names that keep coming up for the Rockets job are former Lakers, Magic and Pacers coach Frank Vogel and Golden State assistant coach Kenny Atkinson.
Do the Rockets have the right mix of players?
There is no question the Rockets have a talented young core of players and adding Wembanyama or any of the potential top three picks and another late first-round pick will make the team even more talented. But will it translate to winning? We’ve watched Green and Porter form an explosive backcourt, but they seem to lack continuity as a unit. Defensively, the duo has not been impressive. Perhaps it’s time to consider if keeping the young core together is best for winning. The Rockets could consider trading one of the young players and maybe the late first-round pick they got from the Los Angeles Clippers for some quality veterans who can blend in and teach the young Rockets how to prepare and play winning basketball.
Who are some of the veteran free agents the Rockets can consider?
The Rockets will have about $60 million in salary cap space to lure potential free agents come July. The name that you will hear the loudest is the potential return of explosive shooting guard James Harden. The rumor has made its rounds that Harden desires to come back to Houston where he blossomed into an NBA star player. Harden, of course, forced his way out of town in 2020 to begin the current downward spiral the Rockets are in. Harden was initially traded to Brooklyn before forcing a trade to Philadelphia where he has been reunited with former Rockets GM Daryl Morey. Aside from Harden, other free agents who will be available this summer include small forward Khris Middleton, point guard De’Angelo Russell, power forward Draymond Green and point guard Kyrie Irving.
Should the front office be safe?
That is the million-dollar question. Much of the blame for the Rockets’ dismal last three seasons has fallen on Silas. While Silas deserves some of the blame, he wasn’t alone. Stone and Silas essentially started together and it has been Stone’s responsibility to stock the team with talent to win and grow during this rebuild. Sure, the young players who have been drafted the last two seasons are talented but there has been a huge void in the veteran depth needed. It was Stone’s decision to trade veteran post Christian Wood and to shut down veteran point guard John Wall to give Green and Porter a chance to grow together. Stone wanted a slow rebuild and that is what he has gotten.
