What are the Rockets Doing?
Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks sign with the Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets finished the 2022-23 season with a lowly 22-60 record, which was actually their best in the last three seasons after finishing the 2020-21 season with just 17 wins and the 2021-22 season with 20 wins. Needless to say, the Rockets did not make the playoffs in any of these three seasons, rather finishing second to last in the Western Conference this past year and dead last in the previous two. These three dismal seasons have resulted in the team moving on from head coach Stephen Silas, who evidently had trouble dealing with the turmoil of coaching a team rebuilding from the ground up after reports surfaced that he once broke down into tears due to being unable to grow a connection with the players.
However, heading into this offseason, there appeared to be some signs of a turnaround coming. They hired former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, who is well known for his incredible defensive mind and led the Celtics to the finals just two seasons ago, which was also his most recent season coaching. They have several young players who have shown promise in the likes of Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr, Jabari Smith Jr, Alperen Sengun, and just drafted highly touted point guard Amen Thompson with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft. Each player is a work in progress, especially in the categories of shot selection and efficiency, but with a new and established head coach in town to implement a new system as well as another full offseason to develop, that young core has an opportunity to become special. On top of all this, the Rockets entered the 2023 offseason with by far the most salary cap space, with nearly $60 million in cap space. With so many rookie contracts on the books, the Rockets were positioned to lure top-tier free agents to play alongside their young core. Unfortunately, the Rockets appear to have blown this money and a golden opportunity,
The 2023-24 season obviously remains to be seen, but it appears Houston may have a problem. First, it was reported that they signed Fred VanVleet to a three-year contract for $130 million. Fred VanVleet is a good player, who brings a championship pedigree, playoff experience, a veteran presence, and a play-hard mindset to make the Rockets a better team. But the reason the contract seems so astonishing and is widely considered an overpay is that he shot just 39.3 percent from the field last year. Adding an inefficient scorer to a young core full of guys who already struggle with efficiency and shot selection does not seem like the brightest idea. FVV also creates an overcrowded Houston backcourt. They had just drafted point guard Amen Thompson and already have guards Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. Each of them needs minutes to develop their game. VanVleet, Green, and KPJ are all ball-dominant scoring guards as well. Those three may have to adapt to sharing the basketball and sacrifice some touches, which requires a change in their game.
Houston’s other big signing was the notorious and arguably the most infamous player in the league, Dillon Brooks for four years and $80 million. Most were surprised to see Brooks get that type of money after his showing last season and all his antics during the Grizzlies’ lone playoff series in 2023 against the Lakers. He talks trash to players like LeBron James who are clearly his superior both currently and all time. He refused to talk to the media after a loss and could not take it like the tough guy he tried to portray himself as. He too struggles with inefficiency, shooting below 40 percent in the 2022-23 season as well. His lone saving grace is his perimeter defense, which earned him a spot on the NBA’s all-defensive second team. But his inability to consistently shoot the ball makes him an offensive liability and essentially undoes his effectiveness on defense.
So yeah… basically, a team that already has players that shoot and score inefficiently took advantage of having the most cap space in the NBA by signing two players who both shot below 40 percent from the field last year. But hey, they should make a significant stride on defense between adding Brooks and VanVleet, which is a strength for them both. The young guys could make strides. Ime Udoka was a premier hire as head coach. They did upgrade their roster overall. But will those two large contracts contribute towards a serious contending team in the near future? That part remains highly doubtful.
