Evaluating Year 1 Of Phase 2 Of The Rockets’ Rebuild

The Houston Rockets had a clear plan heading into the 2023-2024 season. After three seasons of winning on average just 20 games, they wanted to become competitive. To that end, they fired head coach Stephen Silas and hired Ime Udoka who had led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals in his sole season as captain. They spent lavishly in free agency, agreeing to massive multi-year commitments with veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, hoping to transform their culture and lockerroom. And they used the fourth pick in the 2023 NBA draft on 6’7 point guard Amen Thompson and the 20th pick in the draft on 6’7 shooting guard Cam Whitmore. The result? 41 wins, the highest total for the franchise since James Harden was still wearing red.

The Rockets finished 18th in net rating at +0.9 and 20th in offensive rating at 113.7. But they finished 10th in defensive rating at 112.8. In fact, the Rockets were amongst the top ten in defense for the entire season. Houston was 11th in rebounding with a rebound percentage of 50.4% and seventh in turnover percentage at 12.7%. Despite their youth, the Rockets played at the league’s 13th fastest pace.

Udoka was hired with his calling card being defense. The Rockets’ goal for next season will be to sustain and build upon their overall top ten defense but improve upon their offense. Overall, the Rockets were just 23rd in the league in three-point shooting (35.2%) and just 27th in the league in field goal percentage (45.9%). All of Houston’s key young players, primarily Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun will need to improve their outside shooting for the team to take a leap. Thompson’s shot is non-existent.

Each of the Rockets’ “Core 6” of prospects (Sengun, Green, Smith, Thompson, Whitmore, and Tari Eason) showed promise this season, to varying degrees, though Eason was sidelined for much of the year with a leg injury. Eason was the team’s leader (among its regulars) in net rating. That gives general manager Rafael Stone a foundation upon which to build. Now, one of those players will need to make a leap. Sengun looked like an All-Star for much of the season and Green claimed Western Conference Player of the Month honors in March. Now Stone hopes both players can turn in productions of that sort at the same time. (Sengun was sidelined with an ankle injury through much of Green’s hot streak in March).

As of today, the Rockets stand to send the 12th pick in the 2024 draft to the Oklahoma City Thunder but to get back the ninth pick from the Brooklyn Nets, as a result of past blockbuster trades. Scouts have labeled this a historically weak draft and its unclear whether Houston has room in its rotation for another prospect. But a solid shooter would be welcome to open up driving lanes for Green and keep defenders from converging upon Sengun.

The Rockets also added veteran center Steven Adams at the trade deadline and hope to add him to the fold next season, to spell Sengun and also play alongside him against certain matchups.

With Phase 2 underway, Houston’s future appears bright.