The Houston Rockets will probably win an away game this season, but it didn't happen on Saturday night against the Denver Nuggets. Like Thursday, the Rockets fought and clawed to keep a lead over the Nuggets for a significant portion of the game. However, the superior talent and experience of Denver won out, so Houston will have to try to get that first road victory against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. But first, let's take a look at some takeaways from the Rockets' tough loss to the Nuggets.

Houston Rockets takeaways from loss to Nuggets

1. Eric Gordon is ready for a contender to steal him away

While doing radio hits and podcast appearances on the weeks leading up to the NBA season this offseason, the subject of John Wall and Eric Gordon would always come up. The two veteran guards clearly don't have a place on this version of the Rockets, so people wondered what was in store for their future. The interviewer would always eventually ask the following strange question to me: “How do the Rockets possibly go about moving Wall and Gordon's contract?”

The premise of the question is a bit off. Yes, John Wall's contract was and still is an albatross, but the same shouldn't be said of Eric Gordon. This idea that contracts in the NBA can only be a bargain or horrible and nothing in between is ridiculous. Gordon is indeed owed a significant sum of money, but as he's showing now, it's fair value. There will be suitors for Gordon at the trade deadline, and Houston should be able to fetch a first-round pick as compensation.

2. K.J. Martin shouldn't go back to the dog house

Danuel House Jr. will make his return to the Rockets on Sunday. Because of this, second-year forward K.J. Martin looks in danger of losing his playing time. Martin was not in the rotation before House went down, and head coach Stephen Silas slotted him into House's spot in the rotation. With the new spot, he has continued the positive “fill in the gaps and be an athlete on both ends” style of play that earned him significant playing time last season.

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However, Silas should look elsewhere to find minutes for House, because Martin clearly deserves to be in Houston's rotation. For example, D.J. Augustin and Armoni Brooks played a combined 12 minutes that Martin can easily step into on his own. The Rockets don't have that kind of athlete anywhere else on the roster, and toiling away in the G League when it's obvious you belong in the NBA is a waste of everyone's time.

3. The Jalen Green roller coaster

Rockets fans didn't expect Jalen Green to be a ready-made superstar, but they probably weren't emotionally ready for this kind of roller coaster. Green shows flashes of that star people envisioned him becoming every single game. He has even put together two full games where he has looked like a star. It's the game-to-game consistency that has plagued him so far.

And it's not just the shooting woes.

When you watch Green on nights like this, it's almost like he doesn't want to step on anyone's toes. He'll also have these plays where he'll drive baseline, look tentative, and then get stripped by a defender. He clearly needs to tighten his handle and get into an NBA strength training program as soon as possible, but that's not the point. We've seen him be a decisive pick-and-roll ball handler as recently as Thursday night against the Suns, so I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for an invested party.

Ultimately, the Rockets are nine games into the season, and it would be foolish for anyone to waver on his star potential. He just looks like a 19-year-old shooting guard prospect right now, which is fine.