With the halfway point of the NBA season now here, fans and front-office members alike have a good idea of where teams stand in the league's hierarchy. While squads like the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets have solidified themselves as legitimate title contenders, franchises like the Houston Rockets are on the other side of the spectrum. At 10-32, the Rockets own the worst record in the Western Conference and the entire league.
Considering how much losing the team has endured thus far, the Rockets have more than just one need they need to address. To say that improvement in one area would fix Houston into a competitive squad would be very disingenuous — they're in the running for the Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson sweepstakes for a reason. But there is one fatal flaw of the Rockets that has reared its ugly head more often than any other this season.
With all that in mind, here is the biggest need the Houston Rockets must address at the 2023 NBA trade deadline:
Houston Rockets' biggest need: more playmakers
There's no denying that the Rockets have talented scorers. Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. are already both averaging 20-plus points per game, and rookie Jabari Smith has the potential to do the same soon. But what the Rockets don't have is a pass-first guard to accentuate their top scorers and run the offense, and the team owns a bottom-tier offense (28th in points per game this season) because of it.
Houston's lackluster assists average is a good starting point for discussing the team's playmaking ineptness. At 22 assists per contest, only the Dallas Mavericks, who run a heliocentric offense based around superstar Luka Doncic, dish out fewer assists than the Rockets do.
Though Houston's assists numbers have much room for improvement, arguably the best evidence that the Rockets need to deal for more talented playmakers is their turnover problem. Turning the ball over too much in basketball is almost a death wish. Not only does coughing the ball up result in a wasted possession, but it often allows the opposition to get an easy basket in transition.
There isn't a more harmful blunder in basketball than a turnover, and the Rockets are turning the ball over in spades. The team is averaging a whopping 16.9 turnovers per contest, the most in the NBA. And it's not just one player on the Rockets that's the cause for this — it's a team-wide dilemma, as evidenced by the numbers. Nine — yes, nine — players on the Rockets throw the ball away at least once per contest. Four of these players are guards, and the other five are forwards and centers.
Part of the reason behind the Rockets' turnover troubles this season is that with the lack of a true point guard, guys are having to step out of their comfort zones and do too much as playmakers. Kenyon Martin Jr. and Tari Eason are good examples of Rockets who fall under this umbrella. Both players are unproven facilitators who are averaging nearly as many turnovers as assists thus far (0.9 assists/1 turnover for Eason and 1.4 assists/1.1 turnovers for Martin).
Admittedly, likely another reason why the team is constantly turning the ball over is its youth. Houston's top three assist men — Porter Jr, Green, and Sengun — and many of the players on its roster are in their early 20s and don't have a lot of NBA experience. As the youngsters accrue more reps in the big leagues, their decision-making and vision will only continue to improve.
In terms of players who the Rockets should target in a trade to address their playmaking/turnover woes, Memphis Grizzlies point guard Tyus Jones comes to mind. The backup floor general has been one of the most effective playmakers in the league over the last few seasons. And this year, Jones owns the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA at 5.0.
The Rockets would have to give up a bit to acquire his services, but Jones makes a lot of sense as Houston's starting point guard of the future. The acquisition of Jones also would mean Porter Jr. could slide to the shooting guard position — which is a better fit for his score-first mentality and skillset — and veteran Eric Gordon could come off the bench in a spark plug type of role.
The Houston Rockets are far away from contending for a playoff spot, and trading for a proven playmaker won't change that. But it would be a smart investment for a team that already has a bright future.
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