Houston’s Future – What’s next for the Rockets?

With the seemingly endless revolving door of rookies, management, and now even our CEO, Rockets fans are left to wonder. What looms on the horizon for H-Town?

With Tad Brown announcing that he’s stepping down after a 15-year stint as the Rockets Cheif Executive Officer, what’s left of the previous years of continued success not only through the Association but also as a global powerhouse of a business is seemingly gone. However, Rocket’s fans have reason to be excited once again. 

GM Rafael Stone has a keen eye for talent and isn’t afraid to pull the trigger if a deal is enticing enough. Stone, who previously worked under the genius of Daryl Morey as a VP of Basketball Operations has been making some bold moves, to say the least. Considering however the circumstances that he’s under, Stone has been reliable and excellent at finding hidden gems. Taking the more aggressive route when making trades, much like his predecessor. 

Houston’s future on the court is looking extremely promising too! The obvious standouts of the 2020-2021 season have been Christian Wood, Kelly Olynyk, John Wall, and KPJ. All averaging over 15pts ppg. All having the ability to take over games. However, the real heroes of this season have been the outstanding progress of our rookies.

Jae’Sean Tate is showing tremendous growth in the short time he’s been in the league. Averaging 11pts, 5.3rebs, 2.3asts and 1 steal a game. Tate who was playing for the Sydney Kings in the NBL was picked up as a free agent signing and immediately made an impact and has deservingly been mentioned in ROTY talks.

Kenyon Martin Jr and DJ Wilson have been stringing together impressive showings as well. Both better than 5pts a game, while however that might not be outstanding both show amazing potential. Martin Jr has incredible athleticism and great defensive IQ, averaging almost 1 blk while playing less than 21 minutes a game. Wilson has also shown great offensive and defensive potential. Give him space, he’ll use his deft touch to bury jumpers all day. Play up too much, he’ll use his speed and amazing ability to finish to get to the rim. Both just need more minutes.

Add all of this to the fact that Houston sit 15th in the west and have the best odds for a lottery pick, only giving Houston more young assets to add to this already incredible band of rookies and you have a seriously good up-and-coming team.