Was anyone else hoping McVeigh didn’t get his game tying shot off in time, or was it just me? It was just me? Okay…
The strange thing about preseason games is that everything matters but the final score. The Rockets followed up their loss in the preseason opener with a 122-113 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the overtime that no one wanted, outside of Jermaine Samuels Jr. and Jack McVeigh. While it’s nice to see the Rockets put up a higher score than the opponent let’s face it… The Rockets starters looked outclassed versus the Thunder starters.
With Fred Vanvleet sitting out, Amen Thompson was called upon to be the starting point guard, and similar to what we saw last season when Vanvleet was out of the lineup, the offense looked stale when it wasn’t too busy looking sloppy.
The Rockets starting lineup of Sengun, Smith, Brooks, Jalen Green, and Thompson registered more turnovers than they did points in the first four minutes of the game. Ball movement was almost nonexistent as Jalen Green lead the team in assists at halftime with two. By the end of the game, Cam Whitmore’s three assists were a team best.
There were some positives as the Rockets did have spurts where they were playing tough defense and contesting the Thunder’s perimeter shots, boxing out, rebounding, and keeping the game relatively in striking distance. However, it was clear that shooting is still an issue for this young Rockets squad.
It was mostly the bench combination of Tari Eason, returning for the first time this preseason after injury last season, and Reed Sheppard that was able to make the most of their minutes. Tari played 14 minutes, tallied eight points on three-of-six shooting, and grabbed five rebounds. Sheppard played 23 minutes and scored 11 points on five-of-seven shooting including a three-point field goal on his only try. He grabbed four rebounds, had two assists, and a steal for the game.
Their efforts and brief hot streak from Jalen Green in the second quarter helped the Rockets climb back from an early 11 point deficit to tie the game at 37 with just over five minutes remaining in the half. However, the Thunder went on a 23-10 run to finish the half with the Rockets down 60-37. The Rockets shot an abysmal 36.4 percent from the field in the 1st half and had 13 turnovers and 14 fouls.
The Thunder rested their starters in the second half and the Rockets starters struggled to close the gap by the time they were pulled. Sengun was the Rockets high-point man with 17 points on five-of-seven shooting, nine rebounds, and he shot 11 of 12 from the foul line. Jalen Green’s three 3-pointers in the second quarter were the only shots he made from the field, finishing with 12 points on the evening.
The likes of Aaron Holiday, Jock Landale, Jack McVeigh, and Jermaine Samuels Jr. helped the Rockets tie the game in regulation, thanks to a free throw missed on purpose by Samuels, that bounced perfectly off the rim to McVeigh, who hit the only shot I have ever actively pulled for a Houston Rockets player to miss. Nobody wants overtime in the preseason
I even held out hope that the NBA had ruled out preseason overtime similarly to the NFL. To their credit, a bunch of guys who will either be in the G-League or playing overseas by the time the season starts, were able to pull out the win in OT.
Obviously, we will not overreact to a preseason game where it’s clear the Rockets are still knocking off some rust although that excuse flies a little less in 2024 when most of these guys are training and playing ball year round. But still… It’s preseason. That being said, this was a small test to see how far along the Rockets have come since last season.
It was a little disheartening to see them struggle to manufacture anything that even resembles a consistent offense without Fred Vanvleet on the floor. Many Rockets fans have speculated that the Rockets may be able to move away from Vanvleet next season if not by the trade deadline, pending the development of Thompson and Sheppard.
Strictly based on tonight, the Rockets do not look poised to move on from Vanvleet anytime soon, though I was encouraged by Reed Sheppards play tonight, as he improved on his performance against the Utah Jazz.
All things being equal, the Rockets have things they need to improve on, but one preseason game should not dampen our excitement for the new season nor make us lower any expectations. The Rockets have a plethora of talent and Ime Udoka will take the rest of this preseason and likely the beginning of the regular season to mix and match and find what lineups work together. He’s proven he can and will find the right combo and he’s proven that it won’t be based on anything but who is playing the hardest and most effectively.
The Rockets don’t play another preseason game until October 15, at home versus the New Orleans Pelicans. Tip-off for that game will be at 7:00 PM CST. The game will air on The Space City Home Network, KBME Sports Talk 790, and 93.3 FM.