The Houston Rockets are the epitome of what the NBA is at the moment, and might be one of the teams in the best position moving forward.
Since James Harden forced his way out of Houston, the rebuild has been on. At times it has been ugly, yet it has been consisitent.
After years of acquiring young talent, can this be the season it all culminates into a playoff run for the young Rockets?
It sure does feel that way after watching them in the preseason.
Houston Rockets Young Talent
The first name we have to mention is Jalen Green, who in his first two seasons has shown growth. He has gotten better at picking his spots while the offense ran through his these past two seasons.
Jabari Smith Jr showed tremendous splashes in his rookie campaign and looks to build on that coming into his sophomore season.
Tari Eason, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Cam Whitmore are all looking to take the leap also to getting consistent minutes. All of which were stars at the collegiate level.
The big name rookie Amen Thompson has looked like the stud he was expected to be in the preseason. The Rockets used their number 4 pick in the draft on Thompson and it looks like the right move so far.
Experts are already calling this team his, and he has yet to play a regular season game.
Houston Rockets also add Superstars and Depth
Fred VanVleet has been one of the best point guards in the NBA over the last 4 seasons, and is now ready to start his era on the south side. This addition allows everybody around him to fall into their natural position. VanVleet will take the pressure off a lot of these young players over the course of the season by getting them in their rhythm.
Other big name veterans that the Rockets have added are familiar names like Victor Oladipo, Boban Marjanovic, Jeff Green, Reggie Bullock, and Dillon Brooks. All of these players understand their roles and will lead the next generation of stars on this Houston roster.
Do not be surprised if any one of these veterans steps up in key moments and helps secure some wins. Either hitting big shots, making key stops, securing rebound when needed most, or just being in these young stars ears along the way.
Another name that impressed me personally last season with the Phoenix Suns was the play of Jock Landale off of the bench.
Outside of VanVleet and Brooks, these veterans will be needed more as an assistant coach than playing actual minutes. However this is a great mix of young talent and veterans.
Veterans that can speed up the growth of the young core.
Can Not Forget about Coaching
The Rockets lucked up and got one of the best up and coming coaches in Ime Udoka.
Coach Ime Udoka took the Celtics to the Finals in his first year there. Now he leads this group in Houston into the 2023-24 season.
Udoka will get an opportunity to build this franchise for the next decade building on the foundation he was given.
As listed above, this is an amazing roster top to bottom. An Average coach could lead this team into a 7th or 8th seed. I expect to see the Houston Rockets as a top 5 seed in the Western Conference when the playoffs start.
Rowan Donaghey is a Sports and Betting insider for Stare Down Sports. You can follow him on twitter via @RowanDonaghey
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