The Houston Rockets, despite being the 52-win second seed in the playoff standings, find themselves down 3-1 as they prepare to—as of the writing of this article—clash with the seventh-seeded Golden State Warriors. They were not the favorites, though, and that can be attributed to several factors, including the age composition of their roster. Much like their competitors in Oklahoma, the Rockets are fielding a relatively young squad. However, a distinguishing factor between these two teams is that the Rockets appear to have more pronounced deficiencies within their gameplay that could hinder their chances of advancing further in the postseason.
Perhaps the most significant challenge facing the Rockets is their noticeable lack of a competent and reliable half-court offense, which has been a critical aspect of success in high-stakes playoff scenarios. The starting lineup of Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson has unfortunately struggled to perform effectively on the offensive end of the floor. For instance, in Game 4 of the series, this lineup was dramatically outscored 31-18 during the minutes they shared on the court, underscoring their inability to generate consistent scoring opportunities when it mattered most.
In addition to their offensive woes, the Rockets have been plagued by issues at the free-throw line. In Game 4 alone, they missed a staggering 12 free throws, a statistic highlighting a concerning trend of inefficiency in converting crucial scoring chances. Furthermore, ball control has been a significant issue, with the team racking up a total of 27 turnovers combined in the previous two games (Games 3 and 4). These multiple factors—ranging from offensive underperformance to struggles at the charity stripe and carelessness with the basketball—point to a challenging road ahead for the Rockets as they strive to prove their worth in the playoffs and overcome the odds stacked against them.
That said, we are going to hold a dialogue regarding Jalen Green.
For perspective, he was picked second in the 2021 NBA Draft. The player drafted ahead of him, Cade Cunningham, is an All-Star and has All-NBA potential. Evan Mobley, the player drafted after him, just won Defensive Player of the Year. The player drafted fourth, Scottie Barnes, won Rookie of the Year the following season and has been a consistent all-star level talent. The problem with Green is that he has not been as consistent.
He scored 38 points in Game 2, the only victory for the Rockets, while tallying fewer than 10 points in the series’ other games. It’s disappointing to witness this, especially with several players considered “borderline fringe potential All-Stars.” Watching Green’s performance in Game 2 makes you think, “Oh man, I knew he had it; the faith in him has paid off.” However, the unpredictable nature of sports can mean this brilliance may never be repeated. As Charles Barkley put it on TNT, you can drop from 38 to 20 or 24, but you can’t fall from 38 to single digits.
Long term, Houston will probably be fine. They have a bright future, and there’s time to improve. But there’s been outcries from Rockets fans on social media. And, from an outside perspective, it’s in shambles right now. It could be considerably worse, but at the very least, you’ve got good talent to start with. Houston is likely to fare well in the long run. They possess a promising future and certainly have time to make improvements.