The Houston Rockets ended the NBA season with the worst record in the NBA at 17-55. The Rockets were three games behind the next worst team (the Detroit Pistons), and were the first team was eliminated from the playoffs this year.
But in looking at the 2019-20 Rockets’ roster it certainly feels Houston is in. From the 2019-20 team, eight players, the GM, and the head coach are all in the playoffs. Simply put, there’s a pretty damn good team of recent Rockets in the playoffs, even if the current Rockets are at home watching.
That’s not to say the current Rockets won’t get there. We have outlined, in previous Rockets’ Round-Ups, the future and potential. We even looked at players to be added in the draft and in free agency. But, as we stand, the current Rockets are at home.
Houston Rockets fans have a number of familiar faces to root for. Here’s a look at who’s where, and what to watch for as each enters the playoffs for their new club.
Phoenix Suns – Chris Paul
Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns are a top two seed in the Western Conference under a very similar structure to the 2018 Rockets. Chris Paul, a dominating scorer at the two-guard, some three-and-D wings, and a rim running center with a smaller, shooting one off of the bench.
Paul was not a member of the 2019-20 Rockets, but it’s hard not to lump him in here. Rockets fans thoroughly enjoyed rooting for him in Houston, and the franchise and fans alike feel they were a hamstring (his hamstring) away from a title in 2018.
We’ll never know if they’re right, but if an older Paul were to make a similar run with lesser surrounding pieces, it certainly bolsters the argument… So that seems like it’s worth rooting for if you’re a Rockets’ supporter.
Portland Trail Blazers – Robert Covington
Robert Covington was the first casualty of the slicing of the roster in Houston. Covington was sent to Portland, where he quickly became a starting three-and-D power forward. He gives the Blazers lineup flexibility as a small-ball center alongside Carmelo and a bully ball wing with other bigs. But his greatest strength is stretching the floor for Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to operate.
This season, on over five attempts a game, Covington is shooting 37.9-percent from three-point-land. Three pointers make up the majority of Covington’s attempts because he is a floor spacer. Defensively, Covington continues to be an undersized but effective shot-blocker and switchable body.
For Portland to be successful, Covington will likely need to defend the likes of Michael Porter Jr. Nikola Jokic, Kawhi Leonard, and/or LeBron James. That is no easy task, but if Portland wants a chance he’s the only lockdown defender they have in their starting five.
LA Lakers – Ben McLemore
Ben McLemore has continued to be a sharpshooter after getting bought out and picked up by the LA Lakers. McLemore is a floor spacer and provides some much-needed shooting for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers occupy a strange place in the NBA Playoff landscape. If all healthy and 100%, they are the defending champs and appear to be the favorites. But they have what appears to be the most difficult path amongst any favorites after a season full of injury. First, just to get the seventh seed, they have to beat Steph Curry in a one game scenario. If they win, their prize is the dominant Phoenix Suns led by Chris Paul and Devin Booker. If they lose? They have an elimination game against either Memphis or San Antonio… which means they’re a Ja Morant moment or a thorough Coach Pop scouting report from heading home.
For the LA Lakers to have a chance, the 15-18 minutes of Ben McLemore may be important. Spreading the floor for LeBron James and Anthony Davis, even in their staggered minutes, will be crucial.
Denver Nuggets – Austin Rivers
Austin Rivers was set to ride with the New York Knicks into the playoffs, but following the Jamal Murray injury the Denver Nuggets needed to bring in the veteran point guard. Rivers is still a slashing scoring threat, and his outside shooting was a career-high 37.5-percent in the Mile High city.
Denver has MVP favorite Nikola Jokic, but without Murray their playoff chances appear slim. If Rivers were to catch a hot streak, opposite his bubble performance, Denver could continue as a dominant force with a serious home court advantage. Rivers brings an attitude that several Nuggets lack. Even though he was almost out of the league in 2018, the resurgence in the latter half of his career is as a tough scoring threat off of the bench. Denver will use him in a variety of roles as they attempt to cover up the void left by Murray’s injury.
Atlanta Hawks – Clint Capela
Clint Capela and the Atlanta Hawks face the New York Knicks in the first round in a series where Capela has more playoff experience than the majority of players on the floor for both teams.
Capela and the Hawks play villain to the heartwarming New York Knicks story. Capela dominating as a big man by rolling to the rim and playing defense would be welcomed by Houstonians. When Houston went small, Capela was the casualty. Capela had been hurt for a while, Houston had success in his absence, and the Rockets went all in on the small lineup.
Capela became the great “what could have been,” and as he’s been healthier this year Rockets fans of a certain persuasion have pointed to “that’s our guy!” Now, they see their guy rolling past the Knicks to dunk in the Garden in the NBA Playoffs.
Washington Wizards – Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook was a Rocket just one season, and his impact in Houston still one of the hottest debates on #RocketsTwitter. For some, his six weeks before the COVID shut down are the defining image of his legacy in red and black. He was essentially Houston’s six-three center; Westbrook climbed sky-high to catch lobs over the likes of Rudy Gobert. He occupied the area between dunker spots in a way few his size could.
For other fans, trading for Westbrook was the beginning of the end. To some, it was the all-in push to change it up one more time before starting over. It was “too much” to give up when the Rockets were a hamstring away just 18 months prior. To others, it was the disappointing bubble performance, after contracting Covid and while dealing with a quad injury. It is the lasting image of an air-balled pull-up free-throw jumper against Los Angeles in crunch time of a must-win.
But watching Westbrook’s post-Houston success is interesting as a Rockets fan. His energy is infectious and watching it spread throughout the Wizards organization is goosebump-inducing. Seeing him in a dominating, high-scoring two-guard offers insight as to what could have been. Westbrook reverting back to “triple-double” king is fascinating. The only year of the last five he did not average a triple-double was his year in Houston. In the end, after a year of triple-doubles, he had to perform in the Play-In tournament to have a chance to even make the playoffs.
Which heart strings Westbrook’s playoffs will strike remains to be seen… but he certainly will hit some of, if not all of, the chords.
Milwaukee – PJ Tucker
PJ Tucker was the heart of the Houston Rockets for the three full seasons he donned the red and black. PJ brought swag to the pregame tunnel and toughness to the floor. His versatility opened up the variety in ways Houston dominated the league. PJ Tucker was a did his job and did it well. His sneakers were louder than he was, but the clean kicks didn’t reflect the dirty work he did nightly.
PJ Tucker was a corner three specialist and defensive stud. In Houston, he could guard five positions on the floor and frequently was assigned the other teams’ best player. In Milwaukee, his versatility next to defending-two-time MVP Giannis Antetokoumpo will be key in a deep Bucks run. Milwaukee is all in on winning right now, and Tucker is an aged veteran with the same mentality.
The Bucks want to get over the hump. Tucker wants to get over the hump. It’s hard not to root for PJ to succeed, even if he went north by over 1,000 miles.
Philadelphia 76ers – Daryl Morey (and Gary Clark)
Daryl Morey is the architect of the last decade and a half of Rockets’ basketball. He orchestrated the “coulda-woulda-shoulda” run in 2009, the comeback kids of 2015, and the hamstring away team of 2018. He put built a team around the biggest player of the 21st century (Yao Ming), and also swung for the fences with a move to small ball just last season. Morey was the mad scientist and the Houston Rockets were forever the experiment.
Philadelphia offers new variables to play with. They have an international star bigman who prefers to play out on the perimeter in Joel Embiid and a pointguard bigger than any small ball Rocket in Ben Simmons. The center shoots infinite more jump shots than the point guard, but the point guard dominates the dunker spot as much as any NBA All-Star. Morey’s Rockets set league records in efficient offense, but these two Sixers have been in discussions for Defensive Player of the Year.
Rockets fans ought to watch and root for Morey’s experiments. If one of them hits at the right time, it validates every time he swung for the fences in Houston. It would make those random things (like injuries in 2009 and 2018) seem more like the random things that held Houston back than the inherent flaw they are now.
Brooklyn Nets – Mike D’Antoni, Jeff Green, and James Harden
And this brings us, ultimately, to the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn boasts former Houston head coach turned Nets assistant Mike D’Antoni, role-playing small ball center Jeff Green, and former MVP James Harden. All have been criticized for the majority of their careers for historic basketball styles that haven’t resulted in a championship. The injuries along the way for D’Antoni, whether Amar’e Stoudamire or Chris Paul, are not the punchline… D’Antoni is. The analytical evidence of success isn’t D’Antoni’s strength, it’s been the crux of his downfall.
Much is the same for James Harden. Harden averaged 35 points per game and earned the Western Conference’s fourth seed. He was playing with G-League call-ups in his starting lineup and mid-season free agent acquisitions coming off of the bench. He was the centerpiece of the only franchise to make the playoffs in each of the eight years he was in Houston. But somehow leading the league in assists, or points, or wins themselves won’t make anyone see him as a winner. The noise about his antics, his free-throws, and a YouTube clip of his defense drown out any discussion of his historic relevance as an offensive machine.
Houston’s historic offense was record setting and Harden-isolation based, but his place in history is less certain. James Harden playing a key role in winning a championship validates the last eight years of Rockets basketball more than D’Antoni, Morey, or anyone else because he was given the keys to the car and Houston was always in the race. Winning would mean that was the right decision, but there was something else wrong with the car in Houston.
It’s not that him losing means it was the wrong decision, either. With a traditional career length and path, Houston got James Harden’s best basketball. Like many aspects of life, this game leaves plenty of “what-ifs.” But Rockets fans have long wanted to see Harden raise the Larry O’Brien trophy in red and black. Settling for him doing it in black and white is nothing more than settling… but it may be all there is right now.
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