The Houston Rockets two years ago were considered one of the top teams in the league. With superstar James Harden leading the way, the Rockets added another superstar guard to their team in Russell Westbrook and looked set to compete for titles.
Two years later, things look pretty different for the franchise. After a disappointing 2020 playoffs, though, the Rockets took a very tough decision as they traded away both Harden and Westbrook in exchange for multiple picks and, despite having the likes of John Wall and Christian Wood, opted to tank.
While the decision to tank was criticized by some, it was simply the most effective way in which Houston could rebuild. This certainly showed in the 2021 NBA draft. Having multiple picks in the first round and a top-three pick, the Rockets picked up the likes of Jalen Green along with Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba, and Josh Christopher.
Although some pundits were critical of the Rockets at the time, ESPN analyst Zach Lowe believes that the Rockets are well set to become a free agent destination.
“There just aren’t many teams that are this well set up for the future, in the whole league. Free agents will go to Houston.”
While their top-three pick in Jalen Green didn’t have the best of starts in comparison to Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley, the 20-year-old did have his moments last season where he showed a lot of promise as a star shooting guard.
Another analyst, Tim MacMahon, meanwhile chimed in with Lowe and had his say on Alperen Sengun.
“There are people in the NBA who think Alperen Sengun will be an All-Star someday and there are people “who say he’ll be so defensively inept his entire career that, despite his brilliance as a passer and post scorer, he’ll always be a low-ceiling kind of player.”
The likes of Alperen Sengun, though, who were an anomaly to many before their debut showcased why he was one of the most unique prospects in the draft and has shown great promise. But perhaps the biggest piece to their puzzle is the latest addition of Jabari Smith Jr.
Smith, who was widely considered as the number 1 pick in multiple mock drafts, fell all the way to the 3rd pick in the 2022 NBA draft. Possessing a smooth jumper and an ability to defend multiple positions, Smith is perhaps one of the most sought-after talents from the draft. Given the number of young players the Rockets have right now, they can easily become a competitive team in a couple of years.
If a couple of their picks turn out to be All-Stars, it won’t be a surprise to see if the Rockets indeed become a superstar destination.
