The Rockets are an improved ball club this season, here are the grades on the players who have made that happen.
At the All-Star Break, the Houston Rockets are just seven wins shy of their win total from last season. The team has spent most of the season in the number two seed of the Western Conference, and while they have come back down to earth a bit over the last few weeks, no one can argue the season has not been an overwhelming success so far. At the “midway” point of the season here are my grades on each position group from this team.
Point Guard (B)
When the Rockets signed Fred VanVleet last summer, the consensus among Rockets fans and pundits around the league was that the Rockets overpaid for the then 29-year-old veteran, signing him to a three-year, $130 million contract. However, the Rockets brass made it clear that they were not just paying for the point-guard’s production on the court, but also for his veteran leadership and championship pedigree. In his season and a half as a Rocket, he had proven himself worthy of the money paid in my opinion.
His numbers won’t leap off the page to you, but his experience has been invaluable in the process of helping the young core of this team take their next leap in development. Fred VanVleet is the calming effect when things get hectic for the Rockets. Similarly, although to a lesser degree, to the role Chris Paul played in his two seasons as a Rocket. Whenever things start to fall apart on the court, Fred VanVleet comes in and gets things back in order.
Add all that to his ability at times take over a game offensively himself and his low turnover rate, and Fred has proven himself a more than capable starting point guard on a playoff-caliber team. Unfortunately, after him, there is a significant drop off at the position. While we all love to see Amen Thompson racing down the court and scoring past two and three defenders, I am not including him in this group. Aaron Holiday and Reed Sheppard are the other two point-guards on this roster, and while they have each had moments, they are not consistently keeping the offense organized and flowing in Fred’s absence. They are truly undersized shooting guards, and neither of them is shooting particularly well. For that reason, this group gets a B.
Shooting Guard (B+)
While we can all agree that Jalen Green has improved as an NBA player this season, on paper, his production on the offensive end of the court is right on par with his career numbers. In fact, they are nearly identical. Where Jalen has made his biggest strides is on the defensive end, within the team’s defensive strategy. Jalen has a career best 112.8 defensive rating this season. That’s six points lower that his career defensive rating and eight points lower than his past career-high defensive rating in his second season under head coach Stephen Silas. Jalen has improved as a one-on-one defender and a team defender each year under Ime Udoka. Couple that with his slightly improved consistency on the offensive end and the arrow seems to still be pointing up on Jalen.
Jalen Green is the only true SG on the Rockets roster. So he is solely responsible for the grade of this group. I believe there is another step up that Jalen will need to take in order to become a true star in this league. He is still young and is essentially working on a two-year “prove it” deal after his extension this past summer. If he continues to improve defensively and with his consistency on offense, he could very well be in a Rockets uniform for a good while longer.
Forwards (B+)
In this day and age of “position-less basketball”, no other group epitomizes that moniker more than the group of forwards the Rockets have collected over the last few seasons. In 2022, the drafting of Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason followed by the drafting of Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore in 2023, in addition to the longest-tenured Rocket Jae’Sean Tate and free agent acquisition Dillon Brooks, the Rockets have created for themselves one of the deepest and most versatile talent pools at forward in the entire league.
Jabari Smith, Tari Eason, and Amen Thompson can effectively guard all five positions on the floor. Cam Whitmore and Amen Thompson have the offensive versatility to matchup against guards and forwards alike, while Jae’Sean Tate, Jeff Green and Dillon Brooks bring the perfect combination of professionalism, veteran leadership, and quality production when called upon that has lifted the Rockets from the basement of the standings to a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.
Like Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks’s signing was looked upon with much skepticism at the time his deal was inked. The Rockets appeared to be only competing with themselves for his services after his lackluster exit from the playoffs versus LeBron and the Lakers. However, in addition to whatever production Rafael Stone and Ime Udoka believed Brooks would bring to this young team, it was his defensive intensity, professional approach, and toughness that the powers that be hoped would rub off on the rest of the team, and boy, has it.
In addition to that, Dillon Brooks has also been the Rockets most consistent three-point shooter since joining the team, and in my opinion, has been worth every penny the Rockets have given him. When Tari Eason is healthy, he is as ferocious a defender, rebounder, and hustle playmaker as there is in the league. When Eason and Amen’s powers combine, they become the “Terror Twins” and the best sixth man combo the Rockets have had since Eric Gordon and Lou Williams.
Jabari Smith Jr., even by his own admission, has in large part not lived up to the hype surrounding him the summer he was drafter third overall, but each year, he has improved and has become a very solid 4-5 combo player who can score in the paint and stretch the floor while guarding multiple positions. The only reason I can’t give this group a higher grade is because the amount of talent has created a log jam for minutes and due to the fact that injury has not allowed any combination of this group to establish themselves as the permanent and consistent group moving forward. Also, the scoring from this bunch is very streaky. All and all, this are the deepest group talent-wise but does not receive my highest grade.
Center (A-)
The position that boasts the only All-Star player on the team will receive my highest grade. I believe it goes without saying that as it stands today, Alperen Sengun is the best player on the Houston Rockets, and his rise only comes as a surprise to those who were not familiar with him since his rookie campaign. Alperen showcased his offensive potential right away, but as a rookie, he was a liability at times defensively. However, just like most every other young player on the team, Sengun has not only improved defensively under ime Udoka, but has become a very good defensive player.
Stephen Adams and Jock Landale have proven to be more than serviceable back-ups to the Rockets young All-Star. Adams tenacity on the offensive and defensive boards and Landale’s ability to just be ready anytime his name is called upon makes this the most consistent group of the bunch. Basically, it’s the one group you know what you’re going to get night in and night out. This group is one dominant rim protector away from receiving a grade of A or better.
Team Overall (B+)
The Rockets have a bright future provided the front office keeps pulling the right strings with player personnel, coaching, and front office leadership. I cannot absolve Rafael Stone from the fact he has built a team that as talented as they are, has no consistency on the offensive end, particularly with perimeter shooting. I’ll give him credit for attempting to remedy the issue with the drafting Reed Sheppard, but so far, that hasn’t been the solution for the Rockets. As good as the team has been this season, they still have holes to fill, whether it’s through internal development or addition from outside the organization. The good news is that they are good, and the arrow is pointing up.