The 2024-25 NBA season is here! We break down the biggest questions, best and worst case scenarios and fantasy prospects for all 30 teams. Enjoy!
HOUSTON ROCKETS
2023-24 end
Offseason moves
Additions: Steven Adams (well, technically he got there in February, but he never actually played), Reed Sheppard, Jack McVeigh, N’Faly Dante
Subtractions: Reggie Bullock, Boban Marjanović
Complete roster
The Big Question: Does Houston stay the course or make a big splash?
The Rockets finished high in three categories in the annual NBA.com GM Survey. They were the third most common answer to, “Which team has the most promising young core?” They also received votes for being this season’s most improved team – no mean feat, considering them only went from 22 to 41 wins, the biggest year-over-year improvement in the NBA.
The third — tied for second in, “The level of success of which team this season is most difficult to predict? — seems connected to the other two. It depends on how many members of that “promising young core” make the jump … and whether some prove promising enough to become chips in a trade for a star to send the Rockets into orbit.
“We have high expectations,” owner Tilman Fertitta said. “But to be great, we have to get a little older.”
These Rockets have seven players under 24, including four top picks and three post-lottery players who have impressed — especially Alperen Şengün, who is just scratching the surface of his talent and may already be Houston’s best player:
Then there are veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks – imported last season for the respectable Rockets, and for $65 million this season make them winners.
“Our eyes have to be fixed on that – fixed on going forward,” VanVleet said. “Not just making the playoffs, but advancing.”
For now, at least, they will have continuity on their side. The Rockets return a a league-high 97% of the minutes from last year’s team, which made dramatic defensive gains under Ime Udoka and launched a top-seven offense over the final 25 games. At the heart of that closing kick: Jalen Green, a tempting talent World Health Organization on average 27.7 points per game further .613 true shooting in March when the Rockets mounted a game push that came up short.
To that already intriguing mix, Houston adds veteran mauler Adams to back up Şengün, and No. 3 overall pick Sheppard, whose elite shooting, pick-and-roll playmaking and magnetic-hand defense could merit significant minutes. Throw in a healthy return of chaos agent Tari Eason and more minutes for rising sophomore Cam Whitmore, and that’s an awful lot of guys for Udoka to manage — a group with vast areas to grow, and that needs space to do it. .
“Hopefully, this group of players takes another step forward, and at least the core that we have can stay together for a long time and be very successful,” Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said recently. told reporters. “That’s definitely Plan A.”
Funny thing about the alphabet though: It’s, like, a a lot of letters after “A.”
The downside of so much depth: It makes finding sufficient development opportunities for everyone difficult. How will Udoka split ball-handling opportunities between the confident VanVleet and the younger Green, Thompson and Sheppard? How can he get Şengün and Green, whose All-Star moments came at opposite ends of the season, to create an elite offense together?
How will Udoka juggle Brooks, Smith, Thompson, Whitmore and Eason at forward? How will he manage a three-deep center rotation of Şengün, Adams and Jock Landale while also finding room for the Smith/Thompson small-ball lineups that have supercharged the late-season offense?
All of those questions make Houston an obvious candidate for a consolidation trade. Add in the fact that the Rockets, too control more than enough draft capital to enter into any trade negotiations for the next available star, and a major deal feels like a when-not-if proposition.
The “when” matters though, because Houston might not completely be ready to take its big swing. Neither Green nor Şengün have yet signed rookie-scale extensions; the Rockets may look to hold off on a Şengün deal with an eye towards maintaining their lower 2025-26 cap hold. That would allow them to essentially bulldoze their books by declining VanVleet’s $44.8 million team option, opening up almost $69 million in headroom to go big game before crossing the cap to re-up Şengün. (If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is like the 76ers just landed Paul George and maxed out Tyrese Maxey.)
But while such patience could pay off, it remains to be seen if Houston’s decision-makers share that particular virtue — and if they’ll remain locked into the long view even if the Rockets. do look like a legitimate postseason contender. It all creates the sense of a franchise nearing a tipping point: a roster full of promise, but one that also seems to have been built to be deconstructed.
Best case scenario
Green’s late-season shot-making surge translates into a renewed and vibrant partnership with Şengün, earning them both All-Star consideration as Houston sprints out of the gate. Sheppard is every bit the prospect he’s been advertised as, contributing on and off the ball on both ends en route to Rookie of the Year honors. With the youngsters developing, the offense improving and Udoka leading a fifth-best defense, Houston can keep its powder dry and still make the playoffs, heading into the summer with better players, better assets and an enviable number of options to build a will-. be a title contender.
If everything falls apart
No one of the non-Şengün young players pop, giving Stone and Co. precious little clarity on which pieces to bet on while also eating into their potential trade value. The offense continues to place around the bottom 10, while the defense declines to league average – a recipe for a slightly under .500 team that once again finds itself falling just short of the play-in game. It’s not a completely lost year, but the Rockets feel a lot less confident that they’re on the verge of something exciting as they exit the season than they did when they entered.
A fancy spin
Şengün and VanVleet are Houston’s top picks, so expect them to be off the board by the early third round. Şengün was one of five players to average at least 20 points, with nine rebounds and five assists last season. VanVleet’s ADP held steady at 38, but it feels low, considering he’s finished inside the top 20 in four straight seasons.
Two of my biggest questions are about Green and Thompson. Green is a safe pick for point ties because if he starts off cold, as he has in the past, his ineffectiveness won’t hurt you. However, I’m not convinced that the post-All-Star version of Green last season will be consistent enough for category formats with Şengün healthy. As for Thompson – when will he crack the starting lineup? Amen’s versatility on both ends is far more effective than Brooks’. Definitely prioritize Thompson in the 10th round. — Dan Tito
schedule 2024-25
I’m feeling a little upset about this one — the phrase “progress isn’t linear!” runs through my head like a freight train — but with so many young players who have all shown signs of being true NBA players, with so many prospects and picks to deal with, and with a coach and owner who desperately want to win. immediatelyit feels like there could be both a lot of motivation to improve and a lot of ways to do that. Three more wins sounds a bit steep, but also in the realm of possibility. Let’s be optimistic and take over.
