You know, there was a time before SpaceX and Blue Origin, when the only Rockets I cared about was old and busted Clyde Drexler, old and busted Charles Barkley, and of course my personal favorite player of all-time, Hakeem Olajuwon. Who, by the time the other guys showed up, was also sorta old and sorta busted. And while this little soirée into sentimentality has definitely aged me, I guess it certainly shows how far the NBA game has come along, and in most regards, how the Rockets have evolved into the team they are today. Not without bumps and heartbreak mind you, but the Rockets team we have today certainly has a lot of fluidity to it, and that’s not to describe James Harden’s weekend at the club. A mix of new and old, unspectacular and well, average spectacularness (totally a word), this team has a lot of ifs, and’s, and buts, yet still could be an interesting amalgamation of opportunity and measured success. How that comes about is the real question I suppose, and this being a team preview, we’ll at least attempt to answer it…
2021-2022 Houston Rockets Depth Chart
| Role | PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starters | D.J. Augustin | Jalen Green | Kevin Porter Jr. | Danuel House Jr. | Christian Wood |
| Depth | Eric Gordon | Josh Christopher | Jae’Sean Tate | Kenyon Martin Jr. | Daniel Theis |
| Limited | Alperen Sengun | ||||
| Limited | Dante Exum | Usman Garuba |
With James Harden’s trade last season, the rebuilding has been underway in full force, despite the NBA cap and the Rockets’ navigation of it being quite tumultuous. Almost facing a repeater tax penalty, their current salary, as of this writing sits at $123.69 million, leaving some space from their luxury tax threshold of $136.61 million. With that space available, Rockets’ GM Rafael Stone has a lot of directions he can go.
One of those directions is what to do with John Wall. While a contract buyout was expected, just recently there have been rumors that he could be traded as well (with one intriguing rumor of netting Ben Simmons in the deal). Along with Wall, Eric Gordon is also on the trade block, with both players and their flux status affecting not just the final preseason outlook of the team, but this preview as well. But beyond what we don’t know, at least we do a few aspects about this team that should still be relevant several weeks from now.
First, while this team is in rebuild mode, there is still a nice combination of potential new talents and useful veterans like Christian Wood. A solid shooter and rim-runner, he offers an underrated 20+ PPG and 10+ REB split at a low cost. If Gordon does remain on the roster, he remains a very savvy and flexible player that can offer a nudge in all the right places on your stat sheet. As far as youth goes, I dig the Alperen Sengun draft pick at 16th overall. He offers some size, strong footwork, plus-passing, and play-making ability in the paint. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that if he can figure out some defense and improve his ball control, Sengun could be an elite star at his position.
Kevin Porter Jr. remains an intriguing option, providing a sneaky 16.6 PPG and 6.3 APG last season and may build upon that with a continued presence in the lineup and in the system. I’d be remiss without mentioning Jalen Green who seems poised to utilize his burst and speed and can both drive or shoot, creating space at the same time. And while many do think that Green will be the ball-handler of choice, I really like D. J. Augustin and what he can bring to the table and I expect him to be the primary play-caller and go-to tempo-guy on the floor. Tate and Martin Jr. are also intriguing names, but obviously less so than those mentioned thus far.
Granted, I don’t expect this team to go anywhere this season. They are simply not expected to win, at all. But I like how some of the pieces fit, and if you fathom some growing pains, you might be rewarded by this mix of talent and potential all wrapped up in a rebuilding system that might just take a work in progress and turn it back into a franchise that can compete with both speed and the ability to drive to the basket. Sound familiar? Sure it does, but this Rockets team is certainly worth watching win or lose. (A little bit more losing…)
Jay is a longtime Razzball everything who consumes an egregious amount of Makers Mark as a vehicle to gain wisdom and augment his natural glow. Living in the D.C. area, he also likes spending time visiting the local parks and feeding lettuce to any turtles he encounters, including Mitch McConnell. You can follow him on Twitter @jaywrong.
