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 the job himself. Fortunately for Silas, this year has been the polar opposite.
“Yeah, for sure,” answered Silas when asked if it's easier to coach without last year's turmoil. “I mean, not having to think about coming to [the media] and what the messaging is, and thinking about everything that goes along with the situations that we had last year.”
Silas is obviously referring to having to answer incessant questions James Harden, sometimes without Harden present. As a reminder, Harden showed up to training camp days late, leaving coaches and teammates having to answer questions about him. The Rockets could never seem to get everyone on board – even forward P.J. Tucker was upset about not receiving a contract extension. It robbed Silas of an honest first coaching experience, but fortunately for him, he'll that this year.
“Now it's more about basketball,” continued Silas. “It's more about the journey that we're about to embark on and a lot less about the other stuff, which there was a lot of.”
As frustrating as last season may have been for Silas with the Rockets, it was a learning experience. He had to coach through the most difficult forms of adversity, he figured out his style through time, and he's now much more comfortable as a leader.
“Last year, I was trying to get my feet wet, and try to figure it out a little bit,” said Silas. “And now, I feel like I haven't figured it out by any stretch, but I'm further along than I was last year.”
Holdover players on the Rockets remarked about how Silas is much more direct than he was last season. Naturally, Silas was doing his best not to step on any toes, especially with how experienced last year's Rockets roster was compared to this one. Silas also had the luxury of deferring to veterans like John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins to help lead. This year, rookies and young players are looking to Silas for guidance, versus the other way around.
“I tell it like it is,” said Silas. “I mean, just yesterday, we talked about roles and I was direct. I think it's necessary to be direct. To some guys more than others. But I think this year, especially with our young guys, there is very little gray. Like with older guys, there's a little bit more nuance. So yeah, that's probably true. At some level, I hadn't really thought about it.”
This season will certainly test Silas, not only on a basketball level, but on a patience one. While the Rockets are certainly younger and more exciting than they were last year, they're still very limited in a talent sense. Silas will need to balance being direct with understanding that some of this stuff is out of his control. It will be interesting to see how he fares.
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