Game 6 for Houston — Friday night’s 20-point loss that saw them eliminated from the playoffs — felt like a microcosm of the Rockets’ entire season.
Star players were on the bench in street clothes. Houston lacked shooting or consistent shot creation from their young core — their offense got stagnant. Without Steven Adams, they lacked the offensive rebounding power to cover that up. While the defense remained impressive — the Lakers didn’t score in triple-digits and had just a 106 offensive rating — if Houston wasn’t creating turnovers and converting them into transition buckets, its offense struggled.
Houston was a team that looked better on paper than it did on the court for most of the season. Which begs the question:
Now what?
Stand pat, bank on better health and improved play from their young core, and hope that is enough? Even if things go much better, is that enough in a Western Conference with Oklahoma City and San Antonio? And where does Kevin Durant fit into all of this?
Or, there is another option.
Rockets may go star hunting
With that young talent and a lot of draft picks, the Rockets could make an impressive pitch for Giannis Antetokounmpo or any other star players who become available (Kawhi Leonard and Donovan Mitchell are popular targets of speculation). A lot of people around the league expect the Rockets to push their chips in and try to maximize their window with Durant, William Guillory and Sam Amick at The Athletic report.
Should Houston prioritize chasing the limited window that comes with a 37-year-old superstar, even if it means chipping away at these young players that they’ve built up over the past few seasons? If the Rockets decide to chase another star-level talent this summer — like so many rival executives believe they will — they are well positioned to do so. But whether it’s chasing Antetokounmpo, or perhaps Leonard or Mitchell, that approach runs the risk of backfiring if they come up short while sending the wrong kinds of signals to this current core.
Any trade for another star likely involved Alperen Sengun going out, both because of his potential — he’s a two-time All-Star — and his contract, which would be needed to match the money (Sengun is in the first year of a $185 million, five-year deal). Houston also has a lot of draft picks they can throw in the mix.
That star would have to pair well with Durant, who signed a two-year, $90 million extension with the team last summer and has said he wants to end his career in Houston. He’s not going anywhere unless he asks out, despite the reported friction with teammates about his X burner accounts.
Just getting healthy
Houston’s loss of Fred VanVleet to a torn ACL during a September players mini-camp changed the Rockets season. He was the secondary shot creator and the veteran floor general this team sorely lacked — something that was very evident during the playoff series with the Lakers. Adams was another big loss because of his offensive rebounding, pick setting and presence in the paint.
Then there was Durant. He had been incredibly healthy all season, playing in 78 games and more total minutes than he had since 2013-14. However, he banged knees with a teammate in practice before Game 1 and had to sit that one out, then rolled his ankle in Game 2 and suffered a bone bruise. He played in just one of the six games in the series, and it was another big blow to the Houston offense.
What if those veterans all come back next season healthy, while the young core with Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard all take a step forward? Is that enough? This team amassed 52 wins and finished fifth in the Western Conference despite all the injuries.
One person who is expected back is coach Ime Udoka, according to The Athletic.
While Udoka will certainly be under fire for the part he played in the collapse, he signed a lucrative multiyear extension last summer that most league observers believe should shield him from being fired. The third-year Rockets coach is still considered one of the NBA’s elite defensive coaches, with this latest version of his team still finishing sixth in defensive rating despite losing their most impactful defender, Dillon Brooks, in the Durant deal (they were fifth last season).
Does management force Udoka to take on an “offensive coordinator” assistant coach? Maybe.
While a lot of options are on the table, expect the Rockets to be bold this summer. They already spent big and went all-in with Kevin Durant, this is no time to start playing it safe.
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