Are the Houston Rockets a Playoff Team?
If you were keeping up with any NBA free agency news this past summer you know that the Houston Rockets, who had a record of 22-60 last year, made two big-time moves that got a lot of media coverage to help make their team roster better. Those two big-time moves were signing ex-Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet to a three-year, nearly 129-million-dollar contract and ex-Memphis Grizzlies small forward Dillon Brooks to a four-year, 86-million-dollar deal. While these two deals got a lot of attention because they involve a lot of money for two players that many do not think are worth the price, so far this season these two players and the entire Rockets organization have exceeded expectations.
Going into this past offseason the Houston Rockets organization had one goal. That one goal was to build around the star power they already had in shooting guard Jalen Green and center Alperen Sengun. While Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks were not the guys many NBA fans thought should have been called for this responsibility, through thirty-four games of our current NBA season the Rockets have compiled a record of 18-16 which is much better than most people thought they would be. The starting lineup of VanVleet, Green, Brooks, power forward Jabari Smith Jr., and Sengun has glued together well and seems to be a problem for even some of the best teams in the league.
Last night even without Brooks, as he sat out with an oblique injury, the Rockets were able to beat a loaded Milwaukee Bucks team despite Giannis Antetounmpo dropping 48 points and 17 rebounds. Sengun led the way for the Rockets to get the win finishing with 21 points and 11 boards, Jalen Green and veteran Jeff Green both had 16 points, and Jabari Smith Jr. had a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards. Sengun is averaging 21 points and 9 rebounds on the season and has quickly become one of the better centers in our league, while Jalen Green and VanVleet are putting up 17 points a game. VanVleet has also become even more of a well-respected offensive distributor as he is having his best passing season ever, dropping nearly 9 assists every night. If the Rockets keep playing like this it begs the question: Could we see them in the playoffs or at least the play-in tournament?
