Rockets in Review: 2020 Offseason

Photo courtesy of Randy Belice/Getty Images

Following one of the more hectic offseasons in franchise history, the Rockets once again saw major pieces of the team depart, and new pieces arrive. Among those noteworthy departures were General Manager Daryl Morey, now the frontman for the Philadelphia 76ers, and head coach Mike D'Antoni, a former Coach of the Year. Now running the show for the Rockets is G.M. Rafael Stone, a protege of Morey's, alongside first-time head coach Stephen Silas, a former Dallas Mavericks assistant and a big contributor to the Mavs' offensive explosion in 2019.

With an entirely new coaching personnel and scheme, Stone wasted little time in reconfiguring the roster in an effort to put forth a competitive team heading into the 2020-2021 NBA season. Stone was given the unenviable task of undoing the effects of the wildly inconsistent small-ball approach, while attempting to satisfy two disgruntled stars that stated they wanted out. With the preseason underway and the roster set for the coming season, here's a review of what the Rockets accomplished in Stone's first offseason at the helm.

Departures

G - Russell Westbrook

G - Austin Rivers

F - Christian Covington

F - Jeff Green

C - Tyson Chandler

F - Demarre Carroll

F - Luc Mbah a Moute

F - Michael Frazier II

Future 2nd Round Pick (Lakers)

In what was the biggest sign of moving on from small-ball, Rafael Stone dealt away arguably two of the biggest players in the scheme—superstar guard Russell Westbrook, and de-facto center Christian Covington. It was long believed Westbrook would end up staying and trying to make his situation with the Rockets work, until the blockbuster trade was announced that saw Westbrook traded to the Washington Wizards. As for Covington, he was the first player dealt in Stone's first offseason, shipped off to the Portland Trail Blazers for a pair of first round picks.

Westbrook's departure marks the end of a tumultuous and wildly variant stint with the Rockets. The first third of the season saw him perform at an inconsistent pace, looking great on some nights and nearly unwatchable on others. When James Harden went down with injury, however, Westbrook was reminiscent of his MVP self of old, practically carrying the Rockets to an above average record. Unfortunately, that was cut short by the NBA's cancellation of the season due to COVID-19.

The NBA bubble restart saw Westbrook receive a stroke of bad luck at the worst possible time—an injury days before the postseason began forced him to miss much of the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he was detrimentally inefficient in the series loss against the Los Angeles Lakers. Game 5 would end up being his last game in a Rockets uniform, as he cited a desire to the role he had in OKC on a new team.

As for Covington, he was an invaluable piece to the Rockets' success in small-ball. A stretch big that could knock down threes and defend the paint, Covington was everything Daryl Morey dreamed of acquiring when transitioning to small-ball. It was interesting to see how Covington would potentially fit in Houston's new scheme with Stephen Silas, who emphasized ball movement, but the team never got the chance.

Lost in the departures of Westbrook and Covington is the loss of forward Jeff Green, who thrived during his time in Houston. Green averaged the highest three-point shot percentage since his 2014 season, and was a key scoring contributor off the bench, averaging just over 12 points a game. He chose to join close friend Kevin Durant in Brooklyn as a free agent.

It's normally considered a bad thing when a team loses a former MVP and one of the better wings in basketball, but it was a necessity Stone was forced to undergo in an effort to rebuild the team. The returns he received for the two, however, along with other key additions, give some reason to believe in the Rockets in the coming year.

Acquisitions

G - John Wall

C - DeMarcus Cousins

F/C - Christian Wood

F - Jae'Sean Tate

G/F - Sterling Brown

F - Kenyon Martin Jr.

G - Mason Jones

F/C - Kenny Wooten

Future 1st Round Pick (Protected) (Pistons)

Future 1st Round Pick (Protected) (Trail Blazers)

Future 1st Round Pick (Protected) (Wizards)

Photo courtesy of Randy Belice/Getty Images

The return for Russell Westbrook brought John Wall and a first round pick to Houston, considered to be one the fastest and most well-rounded guards in the league before an achilles injury in 2018 forced him to miss two consecutive seasons of basketball. Now, he aims to bring that all-star caliber level of play to Houston, while aiming to get his career back on track.

On paper, Wall brings a lot of the attributes Westbrook originally thought to bring to the Rockets. While Westbrook's scoring ability might outmatch Wall's, the latter's speed can more than make up for it. Both have also shown an ability to pass the ball effectively throughout their careers.

Below is a comparison of the two's 2018-2019 season. Note that Wall only played 32 games that year before his injury.

Joining Wall in Houston will be his former Kentucky teammate DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins, heralded as one of the best centers in the league not too long ago, is also recovering from an extensive injury of his own. He's on a one-year prove-it deal in an effort to help demonstrate his health, and showcase his dominant talent that made him such a force in the league those few short years ago.

The third big fish the Rockets managed to snag is former Detroit Piston Christian Wood. Wood, coming off a season that saw him earn a full-time starters roll for the departed Andre Drummond, averaged roughly 13 points and 6 rebounds last year, often having to create his own shots as one of the team's few playmakers. He will presumably get the starting nod at center, with Cousins filling in behind him.

Filling out the rest of signees include young drafted players Kenyon Martin Jr. (son of former NBA player Kenyon Martin), Mason Jones, and Kenny Wooten, who all figure to push for spots on the active roster. Two role players in Sterling Brown (formerly of the Milwaukee Bucks) and Jae'Sean Tate (coming from the Australian Basketball League) are also intriguing options off the bench that could potentially contribute on the second unit.

Looking Ahead

The Houston Rockets figure to fill out like the following at the beginning of the season:

PG - John Wall

SG - James Harden

SF - Danuel House Jr.

PF - P.J. Tucker

C - Christian Wood

Despite James Harden's drama-fueled desire to leave the team for Brooklyn, the team seems willing to stand pat and keep him, and Harden doesn't seem to be planning on holding out into the season, seeing as he reported to training camp a few days before the preseason began. He'll likely give this season a shot with John Wall as his third new running mate in the backcourt in as many seasons.

Meanwhile, Danuel House Jr. has blossomed into one of the better Three-and-D players in the league, as the Texas A&M product really came into his own last season offensively and defensively. A scandal that saw him forced to leave the bubble might have cost him a blow to his reputation, but he otherwise seems poised to make up for it with a strong full season as the starting small forward.

Gritty everyman P.J. Tucker voiced some contract complaints of his own this offseason, but he also seems willing to put the issues behind him (at least for now) and fill in as the team's power forward. A change to his natural position is likely a welcome one, as he will no longer be asked to play the center spot with the arrival of Wood and Cousins.

Speaking of the two, while Wood seems poised to begin the season as the starter, Cousins will likely take a fair bit of minutes at the spot as well. The team might elect to take it slow with Boogie, considering his injury history, but if Cousins proves effective in extended minutes, the team might be tempted to have the two split even time at the position, or even deploy both of them at once against larger teams. Both players have the skillset to dominate in the paint and shoot it from range, fitting in well with Wall and Harden's style of play.

The bench saw a lot of changes this offseason, but there are a few locks in the rotation already. Eric Gordon will obviously receive play at the guard spot off the bench, likely as the leader of the second unit in terms of scoring and ball-handling. Ben McLemore also figures to return to his role as the off-the-bench sharpshooter, seeing as he thrived in the role last year. Along with DeMarcus Cousins, these three figure to earn the most playing time away from the starters.

The rest of the rotation is up in the air. Recent rule changes will allow teams to carry fifteen players instead of the usual thirteen, and coach Silas will likely utilize more players than D'Antoni's eight-man philosophy. Assuming Silas runs with ten or eleven players in an average game, that leaves two or three spots open for somewhat regular playing time on the team.

Outside of Wood and Cousins, Jae'Sean Tate and Kenny Wooton are the only other big men on the roster. Tate, who had experience playing professionally, figures to slot in behind P.J. Tucker at power forward, hopefully picking up the former's defensive tenacity along the way. He flashed similar skills during his time in the ABL, averaging 1.6 steals a game and six rebounds, to go along with just over 16 points. Coach Silas also commented on his vast skillset, saying in a December 8th press conference that "[Tate] has good size. He can play multiple positions on both ends of the floor. He's an exciting player I think everybody will enjoy watching."

With spots open at the small forward spot, those figure to either go to David Nwaba or Sterling Brown. Nwaba didn't make the trip to the bubble last season, but he's a renowned defensive presence on the team, similar to the role Luc Mbah a Moute played a few seasons ago. Sterling Brown could also figure to get some run, especially with his shooting prowess, but his injury history might bury him on the depth chart. KJ Martin is a sleeper candidate with upside, but likely needs to fill out a little more and gain a little experience in the league before being offered serious minutes.

And, as nice as it would be to have permanent flamethrower and Houston legend Gerald Green throw up the H on the court, he is unlikely to earn any serious minutes barring injury or COVID-19 related issues, seeing as he himself is coming off a tough injury and is getting up there in age.

Should Harden return without dilemma, there is a lot of upside to this team if health permits it. Wall doesn't require the ball in his hands nearly as often, and already has experience with an elite backcourt mate (Wall played with Bradley Beal for years in Washington), which hopefully points to a peaceful coexistence. If he and DeMarcus Cousins end up staying healthy and returning to their respective forms, along with Christian Wood playing as advertised, there is certainly a lot to like about this team. Of course, there's certainly a lot to lose as well, but the team figures to cross that bridge if they get there.

The Western Conference is as loaded as ever this season, and the Rockets hope to be right in the thick of it. The season has been shortened to 72 games, so each game matters a little more in the grand scheme of things. Still, with the upside this team has, a top-four seed isn't all that outlandish for a team of this caliber.

My prediction? 45-27—exactly one game better than their record last year. Bold? Perhaps, but this team could use the positivity after the last few trying months of turnover and uncertainty.

Buckle up, Rockets fans. This could either be the most exciting season in years or the most trying one. Luckily for the franchise, I, like most Rockets fans, am an unwilling glutton for punishment when it comes to this team, so you better believe I'll suffer through the entirety of this year with my Rockets flag behind me, screaming "This is the year!" after a win and crying myself to sleep after a loss. It's the way of the Rockets, and truthfully, I wouldn't have it any other way.