After falling just short of the playoffs, the young Houston Rockets hope to build on last season’s 41-41 finish. The Rockets have officially moved from rebuilding to competing following a 19-game improvement. Here are three big questions for the Rockets heading into the new season.
1. What do they do with Amen Thompson?
The No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, Amen Thompson made the All-Rookie second team. Like Liam Neeson, Thompson has a certain set of skills: Ballhawking defense (1.3 steals in 22 minutes per game), athleticism (88 dunks) and rebounding (6.6 rebounds, 2.4 offensive).
Thompson also has one giant weakness: He can’t shoot. Last season, he shot 8-of-58 from three-point range. From 10-16 feet, Thompson shot below 30 percent. There’s a reason over half of his shots came within three feet of the hoop.
On a less-loaded, less competitive team, Thompson would be plugged in at small forward or even point guard and allowed to develop. The Rockets have high-priced free agents and high lottery picks at every position and playoff aspirations. Thompson has a ton of potential, but the Rockets will need to balance the need to get him minutes and their desire to win games.
2. Which Jalen Green will Houston get this season?
For the month of March, Jalen Green looked like the player Houston hoped they were getting with the No. 2 pick in 2021. Green averaged 27.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists for the month, shooting over 40 percent from three-point range and 49.2 percent from the field. Not coincidentally, the Rockets went 13-2 in the month, including an 11-game win streak.
Green’s fortunes mirror that of his team. In Rockets wins, Green shot 45 percent and averaged 22.3 points, and the team was 14.2 points per 100 possessions better with Green on the court. In Rockets losses, Green shot 39.2 percent and averaged 17 points, and the team was 13.3 points worse per 100 possessions when he played.
This is the year Green needs to prove his consistency and value. Houston’s unlikely to offer a max extension to Green or fellow 2021 draftee Alperen Sengun before the season, meaning both are looking at restricted free agency before the season. Will Green facing a contract year finally spark the improvement Houston needs from him?
3. Is Alperen Sengun their center of the future?
Sengun, 22, played like a Turkish Nikola Jokic last season, averaging 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and five assists. He got better on defense, but the Rockets were concerned about him as their rim protector, trading for an injured Steven Adams at the trade deadline in February to get a bigger big man alongside — or in place — of Sengun.
The Rockets’ big late-season charge also happened with Sengun out with an injury. Sengun played his last game of the season March 10, and the Rockets responded by winning their next nine games without him. He’s clearly a talented passer and scorer, though he doesn’t have a reliable outside shot. But with 2022 No. 3 pick Jabari Smith, Jr. and Thompson around, Sengun isn’t guaranteed to be the top choice of defensive-minded head coach Ime Udoka.
We believe in Sengun’s future, but the team may have to choose between him and Green when both hit free agency next summer.
