Houston Rockets Articles - Page 63

Houston Rockets rookie Jalen Green gets his name on the scoreboard in a fancy way as the 19-year-old opens his NBA debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The athletic swingman’s first game is one of the most anticipated debuts in the league this season and Green once again proves that he’s fit for the NBA as […]

Last year was an all-time chaotic year for the Houston Rockets. Russell Westbrook and James Harden set the tone with their trade requests before free agency, but it never got better from there. New head coach Stephen Silas had to deal with juggling egos, trying to maintain a healthy locker room environment, and learning on […]

After what feels like a very long offseason, the NBA has finally returned! Starting off with some great games, this season is bound to be full of action and great competition. The Houston Rockets will hit the road to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. This Western Conference battle is going to be a good one. […]

Players like Houston Rockets rookie Jalen Green have been on an NBA trajectory since they were pre-teens. They’re the stars of their grade school teams, they join the AAU basketball circuit, scouts make regular appearances at their games, and they’re recruited by several different entities looking to capitalize on their talents (colleges, brands, extended family, […]

The Houston Rockets used four different starting lineups through the preseason. A total of eight different players have seen their name called to start so far and the Rockets have deliberately collected data internally on all these units. While it’s pretty clear who three of the starters are going to be, the remaining two starters […]

The NBA Western Conference is habitually stiff, which leads to a handful of legitimately competitive teams missing the playoffs. At the moment, there are six teams in the conference that are rebuilding and/or trying to turn a corner with a young core. Those teams are the San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Minnesota […]

With Rockets starting center Daniel Theis sidelined due to a minor knee injury, Stephen Silas used Houston’s last preseason game as an opportunity to test out a new starting lineup. Christian Wood occupied Theis’ spot at starting center and rookie Alperen Sengun stepped in at power forward. The move wasn’t a complete surprise as Sengun […]

It’s been a crazy three years for guard Armoni Brooks. After not being selected in the 2019 NBA Draft and bouncing around the G League for two years, Brooks finally found some stability this year with the Houston Rockets. In January, he signed with Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and was […]

By the time training camp rolls around in the NBA, you usually can predict what to expect from a team. Every beat reporter knows what storylines are relevant to ask about, ever player has a general idea of what his role is on the team, and coaches have a rotation in mind that they are […]

Ever since the 2021 NBA Playoffs, Ben Simmons has been swarmed by critics. Although Simmons is still a star, things haven’t gone smoothly for him as of late. The postseason saw him register the most dismal performance of his career. Simmons registered a historically bad 34.2% mark on free throws, which is the worst in […]

It’s safe to say that people are generally more excited to watch this year’s Rockets’ team versus last year’s team. Houston has an exciting cast that includes Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba, Kevin Porter Jr., and Josh Christopher – all of which are under the age of 22. It’s a breath of fresh air […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta was one of the hardest hit billionaires once the pandemic began. With his business being centered on casinos, hotels, and restaurants, basically the first ones shuttered during the shut-down, he had to take drastic action else risk his company going under. The Houston native made the highly publicized move to […]

Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate is one of those players in the NBA who is really difficult to pin down to a position. Ten years ago, these players were called “tweeners” and were disparaged in a league that valued positional rigidity. Now, the opposite is true: The more positions players are able to play, the […]

One of the last big remaining questions for the Rockets going into the season is who starts at small forward. Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, Christian Wood, and Daniel Theis are all locks entering the season to be starters and the only question remaining is that fifth spot. Houston is essentially debating between a three-guard […]

Prior to the season, it was pretty easy to predict how the Houston Rockets’ rotation would look like. Houston had drafted four rookies, but because they had at least eight active players on the roster over the age of 24, it was likely only two of those rookies would play regular minutes. Rockets head coach […]

Filipino NBA fans are in for a treat when the NBA season starts, when the Houston Rockets host the Utah Jazz on October 28. This will mark the first time two players of Filipino descent face off, as Rockets rookie Jalen Green takes on Jazz sixth man Jordan Clarkson. In honor of this, the Rockets […]

One quarter into Houston’s first preseason game against Washington and it was pretty clear that the defense is going to be a work in progress all year. Obviously this Rockets team is pretty inexperienced with playing with each other, but it’s also important to remember that poor defense isn’t uncommon for young teams in the […]

Good or bad, everything in the preseason should be taken with a grain of salt, especially for this young Houston Rockets team. While it’s statistically more indicative of what will happen in the regular season than pundits give it credit for, the preseason primarily serves two purposes: For coaches to figure out rotations and lineups […]

The Houston Rockets defeated the Washington Wizards 125-119 in their preseason opener on a late fourth quarter surge, but the story Tuesday night was Kevin Porter Jr. In his first career preseason start at point guard, Porter Jr. poured in 25 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block on nearly 70% true shooting. […]

There are several reasons why NBA GMs think Jalen Green will win the Rookie of the Year award this 2021-22, and the Houston Rockets guard showed one of those reasons on Tuesday in their preseason game against Kyle Kuzma and the Washington Wizards. Right in the opening minutes of the game, Green showed how polished […]

The Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers all made minor moves Tuesday night involving salary dumps and future draft picks. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets are acquiring Edmund Sumner and the Miami Heat’s 2025 second round pick from the Pacers. Once the deal is finalized, Woj reports the Nets will then waive […]

For veteran teams in the NBA, preseason is a nuisance. It’s something everybody has to do, but nobody wants to. For most teams, the number one objective is to not get injured. For a young team like the 2021-22 Houston Rockets, preseason takes on an added layer of importance. “I just want us to get […]

After five days on Galveston beach, the Houston Rockets completed their training camp on Saturday. Last season, Rockets training camp was awkward and uncomfortable as the team awaited James Harden and P.J. Tucker’s arrival. This season, Houston got ahead of any awkwardness by coming to an agreement with veteran guard John Wall. This led to […]

Detroit Pistons legend John Salley is certain Houston Rockets point guard John Wall and Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry are almost the same. John Wall and Stephen Curry are two perennial All-Star guards who are both the biggest names in their respective teams. Atop that, the pair is also two of the highest-paid guards […]

Ben Simmons trade talk has dominated the NBA offseason thus far. Nearly a year ago, James Harden found himself in a similar situation before eventually landing with the Brooklyn Nets. Harden was asked about the Simmons trade buzz, but claimed that it wasn’t as similar as people are suggesting. Via Brian Lewis of the New […]

Nearly three decades after his first NBA pre-season stint with the Houston Rockets, Sam Cassell is still blown away by Hakeem Olajuwon’s bizarre routine. Sam Cassell entered the NBA in 1993 after being drafted by the Houston Rockets. At the time, Hakeem Olajuwon was already in his prime and had been dominating the entire league. […]

Adjusting to the NBA as a rookie is incredibly difficult. The competition is bigger, faster, and stronger than what you’re accustomed to. There’s nothing that can prepare you for an 82-game schedule with lots of traveling. You’re also constantly competing for a spot in the rotation with your teammates. Now imagine not speaking the language […]

The Houston Rockets future is one thing, but in looking at the past, it’s clear Houston made a huge turn to the bottom of the standings last season. After years of contention, the Rockets traded away their biggest star, James Harden. It was clear that Harden did not see a path to a championship in […]

Houston Rockets big man Christian Wood has never been a player devoid of confidence. It’s why he found his way back into the league after playing overseas. It’s how he broke out as a player in Detroit after coming off the bench for Andre Drummond. And it’s how he carried that trajectory into Houston the […]

All summer, the Houston Rockets hinted that Kevin Porter Jr. was going to be their starting point guard this season. John Wall not being in the picture only makes this even more of a reality. At a charity event availability, Rafael Stone indicated that the organization views him as a playmaker. This was also when […]

Following Houston Rockets Media Day, a few things stood out above the rest of the noise. In this post, we’ll take a look at the three biggest takeaways. Rockets Media Day Takeaways 1. John Wall will travel with the Rockets This is quite an unusual arrangement the Rockets have conjured up, but it doesn’t seem […]

Brooklyn Nets star James Harden has repeatedly proclaimed that it would be “scary hours” for the rest of the NBA now that he, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving are all finally healthy. While it’s unclear if Harden and Durant are following Irving’s lead in terms of rejecting COVID-19 vaccination, which would be a huge problem […]

To say it was a surprise to see John Wall speak at Rockets Media Day is an understatement. After news broke about the Rockets and Wall mutually agreeing to eventually part ways, it was assumed Wall might not even be at media day, much less speak at it. It was obvious that the Rockets had […]

There will be a ton of eyes on some of the top rookies selected in the most recent NBA draft as training camp gets ready to begin. It’s a list that is topped by Detroit Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham, and the No. 2 overall pick by the Houston Rockets in Jalen Green. Unfortunately, the pair […]

There’s a misconception about rebuilding in the NBA that has carried into most fanbases: star players are always available. The Houston Rockets are a team that could be categorized as rebuilding and the fan base knows this. When you look at the NBA over the last decade, it’s not hard to see where the misconception […]

Former Houston Rockets point guard Rafer Alston has opened up about how Yao Ming made him a better basketball player and person. In his phenomenal but short NBA career, former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming left his mark on his then-teammates, including Rafer Alston. In a wide-ranging interview with VLAD TV, Alston revealed how Yao […]

As training camp will soon kick off for the Houston Rockets, head coach Stephen Silas is now formulating major plans for rookie Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. The Rockets are set to build their team around both Green and Porter, especially as they are currently on the lookout for a team willing to haul […]

Media Day is basically the NBA’s version of the first day of school crossed with picture day. All 30 teams, including the Houston Rockets, are starting off at 0-0 records, so there’s an enthusiasm and energy to get the season started. Players, coaches, and executives all talk about how outside expectations and perceptions don’t matter, […]

It’s been pretty clear for a while now that Eric Gordon doesn’t have a long-term future with the Rockets. Once James Harden was traded in January,  every relevant role player left over from the last regime was on the clock. Last season P.J. Tucker grew disgruntled with the franchise for not receiving a contract extension […]