As the winter holidays are coming and going, the Houston Rockets are one of a handful of teams that have high hopes for 2022. They head into the weekend looking to get their starting backcourt back, have crept to 2.5 games out of the NBA play-in tournament, and look to be sellers of veterans at the trade deadline.
With December wrapping up, and the New Year fast approaching, the Houston Rockets hope they’ve been nice enough, and not naughty, to get some of their wishes off of the list. So what are the ‘Kets wishing for?
John Wall Finds a Good Home
We’ve gone through the John Wall and Houston Rockets saga in detail with these Round-Ups, but the wish here isn’t just that it ends. John Wall wants to play competitive and meaningful basketball, the Houston Rockets want a young team to build on. This wish is really that both can get done.
There are a number of teams that could find a way to acquire the veteran point guard. We broke down a swap for Ben Simmons in an earlier Round-Up, but both teams would thus theoretically be gaining a player who actually plays. Simmons’ age better fits the timeline in Houston, Wall playing-style better fits the “win-now” mode the Sixers are in. Further, if Houston wanted to sell 26-year-old big man Christian Wood while his value was its highest, Simmons serves as an upgrade that can play in five out offenses. Simmons shoots the ball worse than Wood does, but his creation from the point-forward spot is second to none. Regardless, the key here would be that Simmons slides into a more traditional forward role, but that rehabilitation process may be what’s best for his individual career as well.
Another swap for Wall would be to see him end up in Cleveland, with Houston receiving Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio back. Love and Rubio aren’t the youth the Rockets want, but they do have contracts that Houston would find value in. Love expires in the 2023 off-season, making him a very immediate trade / swap asset for the 2022-23 season, and Rubio would be off the books this summer. They could help develop the young Rockets in their time in Houston without throwing off the grandiose plan. As for Wall? He gets to team up with young up-and-comers who are playing to win. Cleveland feels like they’re 2-ish years ahead of Houston in the rebuild process (as LeBron James left them three years before James Harden left the Rockets). Wall would find his way onto the floor quickly. The Cavs use multi-guard rotations and rely on scoring from the perimeter in a way that suits him well.
Whatever the case, the Houston Rockets and John Wall hope to find an amicable split soon. Both deserve a chance to get what they signed up for; Houston brought Wall in to be a co-star on a hopeful title-run with James Harden and Christian Wood. Wall came to Houston for a chance to compete. Here’s to seeing both parties happy in 2022.
Eric Gordon Brings in a Haul
An undercurrent of the last month of success in Houston has been the re-emergence of Eric Gordon. “Gordy” wasn’t great to finish the season last year, and had his troubles throughout the 15-game losing streak earlier this season. But since hitting the game-winning floater against the Magic on December 3rd, Gordon has fallen back into his own. Gordon has always been a strong defensive presence, but offensively he’s a shorter two-guard that relies (typically) on the creation of others. It made him a perfect pair for James Harden, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook. It makes him a great veteran to pair with Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. But in the absence of the latter?
Gordon has truly turned into a primary creator. While he still has occasional mis-dribble and benefits greatly from the creation of guys like Jae’Sean Tate and Alperen Sengun, Iso Eric has become a staple in head coach Stephen Silas’ offense. Gordon has scored more than his 14.7 ppg average in six of the eleven contests he’s appeared in since Green’s injury against Chicago. Quantitative judgments aside, Eric Gordon is playing better while visibly shouldering more of the load. What does that mean for the Houston Rockets? It means that they’ve had a vet steer the ship while their backcourt got healthy.
And for the future of the Rockets? It means Eric Gordon’s stock could not be higher. The 33-year-old sharpshooter has two-and-a-half years on his contract and is owed a whopping $40 million over the 2022-24 seasons. That seems like a big chunk of change for the Eric Gordon of last year, but this year? Gordon looks like the 2017 NBA Sixth Man of the Year again. Gordon could be a rotational guard that puts a contending team over the top of the rest of the NBA. He spaces the floor with deep range, he covers well laterally and has long rangey arms, and he appears to be back to old form as a creator.
If a contender wants to catapult themselves at the deadline this year, what are they willing to spend? The Houston Rockets hope that Gordon’s play continues and, thus, someone will pay a lot.
Green Goblin’ Rookie of the Year
As it currently stands, MyBookie has Jalen Green at fourth on their Rookie of the Year odds behind Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, and Scottie Barnes. In fairness to Green, missing thirteen games immediately following a Rockets’ 15-game losing streak. Jalen Green isn’t out of the race, but his +1950 is way farther odds than Mobley’s -119. But it won’t be impossible. It would mean he needs an incredible two-thirds of the season.
In his first game back from injury, Green started alongside Garrison Mathews, Jae’Sean Tate, Eric Gordon, and Christian Wood. That’s a pair of shooters and a single “big.” The result? Against Milwaukee, Green exploded for 20 points in 25 minutes. His jump shot improved in his time away, thanks to Coach Lucas. The defense had to react out on him slower because of the space Houston’s five-out created. Slow defensive reactions led to more time for Green to get his shot off. More time meant more accurate, and more accurate meant even more deadly. Playing with just Wood or Şengün allowed for Green to be his best self, even in a limited capacity as he makes his way back from injury.
Jalen Green excelled in single big lineups before his injury. Four of the Rockets’ five highest-scoring lineups that feature Green only have one big, and in games where Daniel Theis did not start Green averaged over 24 points per game. The stylistic changes Silas made in Green’s absence should propel Green as a scorer. Logically, moving to single big lineups and putting shooters like Garrison Mathews on the floor will open up the lane for Green to attack the rim. Similarly, the new spacing will give room for the three-level roll threat in Wood or Şengün to play out. As his leg heals, Green should take a big jump as a playmaker in the new setup. While any teenager would go through normal speed bumps in the NBA, the system appears to have adapted to him while he was away.
Yes, that’s a lot of high praise for a kid who is still technically a teenager. But Green, like many top NBA Draft picks before him, does have the potential to get there. As he navigates his return, Rockets fans will only clamor more for his Rookie of the Year campaign. But in this new system? They may not be wrong.
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