One of the biggest questions facing the Houston Rockets this coming season is whether or not they will abandon their small-ball style of play. New head coach Stephen Silas and new team general manager Rafael Stone have spoken out about this concern, and at this point, it looks like the small-ball era has officially ended in Houston.
According to Silas, he believes that the Rockets need to be more versatile next season:
“In today’s NBA, you cannot play one way,” Silas said in a press conference on Thursday, via Ben Dubose of USA TODAY Sports. “Small ball can be a part of it. On the offensive end, we want to be a little less predictable. On the defensive end, the same thing. Playing against teams that have different ways of defending is tough. I want to be that team.
“What I will do [on offense] is try to make it easier. Put in a few little actions and be a little more versatile on the offensive end to let those guys play to their strengths. Not so much stand around with iso. Defensively, we’re going to have to improve. It’s going to take a little more structure and a little more discipline.”
To be clear, it doesn't look like Silas will be abandoning small-ball completely, but he will certainly be looking to change things up for the Houston side next term.
Stone is on the same page with Silas, as the Rockets' new GM seconded his coach's earlier statements. Stone even hinted at a few impending changes on the roster:
“I would anticipate we’ll provide Stephen with a little more optionality to go big or go small,” Stone said. “One of the things that Stephen and I have talked about a lot is the ability to throw different things at different teams. … We aren’t going into this offseason saying we don’t want anyone over 6-foot-7.”
The current Rockets team was designed for the small-ball style of play, which Houston found some success with in recent years. However, with both Silas and Stone indicating that they will be veering away from this, we should expect a few roster changes in the offseason.
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