After an exhilarating 107-104 win over the NBA’s reigning champion, the Denver Nuggets, the Houston Rockets secured their sixth consecutive win of this season, reaching heights unseen since the departure of All-Star Rockets player James Harden in 2020.
After three years of regretful statistics, 177 losses, and only 59 wins, where the Rockets failed to finish above last in the Western Conference and “tanked” for draft picks to help rebuild for the future, their losing finally paid off. Led by a core of young and blossoming athletes, the Rockets have cultivated a winning culture foreign to Houston soil as they grew the team from the ground up by capitalizing off draft picks. They selected bright stars like Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, and Cam Whitemore, who are each bursting with All-Star potential this season.
However, their best young talent was acquired through a trade on draft night in 2021. There, the Rockets acquired Alperen Sengun for two future first-round draft picks, and although the move was showered with disapproval by Rockets fans attending draft night, it seemed to have paid off in hindsight. Sengun spearheaded a formidable Rockets offense this season through his rare playmaking skills as a “big man” and ability to match up with the NBA’s best centers like the 2023 Most Valuable Player (MVP), Nikola Jokic, who he outdueled in the Rockets big win over the Nuggets.
The Rockets also acquired two established borderline all-stars this offseason by signing former Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks and Toronto Raptors guard Fred Van Vleet. Their additions have been instrumental in the Rockets’ robust defense as they both provide a blend of perimeter and interior defense that has launched the Rockets to third in opponent points per game, a mark unreached since before the 2020 season. Furthermore, the leadership both of them provide as veterans can guide the young Rockets’ core to a future full of success and relevancy unthought of just three years ago.
Senior and avid Rockets fan Matthew Mintz echoed the potential of the team as he believes, “The team can go as far as they want. I think they have a real shot at beating anyone in the league right now, especially because they just beat the reigning champions. With our young core and veterans, we can make some noise this year and prove that our six-game win streak wasn’t a fluke.”
Ultimately, as the season continues, only time will tell as to whether the Rockets’ young core can develop and grow together into an elite team for years to come, but one thing remains true: this team absolutely has the potential to go far, and the Rockets of old seem gone.
