Life is good.
Trade winds always seem to swirl around the Houston Rockets these days, and given the perception of their lofty expectations, it’s not a surprise in the slightest. The Dream Shake is also no stranger to breaking out the trade machine. However, today isn’t one of those days. I say that because per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Rockets are not currently looking to move any of their young core.
This news should come as a minor victory for members of the Rafael Stone Believers Club as the team has got off to an encouraging start to the 2024-25 season with many of Stone’s draft picks factoring into the quick start. That being said, this should also be taken with a grain of salt because as Windhorst noted, this is the current outlook, but things are always open to change.
Also of note from Windy’s latest is that the “Terror Twins”, Tari Eason and Amen Thompson, have drawn a considerable amount of attention league-wide, but the Rockets consider them off the table in any talks. That’s pretty complimentary of the duo and the unit as a whole given that multiple “role” players are seen as irreplaceable.
While I recently suggested that none of the young Rockets have established themselves as an untradable piece, it’s becoming increasingly difficult — by the game — to stick with that line of thinking. Eason and Thompson have each shown the ability to flip the momentum of the game through relentless ball pressure and their combined defensive prowess.
Following a hot start in October, Jalen Green has cooled down in November, but his ceiling still remains at the forefront of our minds and it peaks through just enough to believe that this is going to work. Alperen Sengun continues to demonstrate a sense of wizardry with the ball and there’s no doubt that he will continue to improve.
Jabari Smith Jr. is coming off his best shooting night of the season after the calls got louder about a potential lineup change involving him going to the bench. Like Green, game’s like Friday’s 28 point and 11 rebound performance are what gives extreme hesitation to the thought of moving on from Smith. If he performs like that more often, this team will be a factor come April.
As for Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore, it’s much of the same. Sheppard hasn’t stunned so far, but his shot is too pure for him to not make a difference once he’s more aggressive looking for his shot. It will also be interesting to see how quickly Whitmore gets acclimated upon his return from the G-League, but it will be huge going forward if he can provide anything off the bench in tandem with the Terror Twins.
Overall, it’s promising to hear that Houston is willing to wait and see with their investments. The start to the season has been a pleasant surprise. This news is just the cherry on top.