Rockets Rumors

Rockets Notes: Green, Thompson, Eason, Smith, Offseason

May 5th, 2025 at 1:36pm CST by Rory Maher

The Rockets‘ season ended on Sunday night when they lost a deciding Game 7 at home against the battle-tested Warriors. As Jonathan M. Alexander of The Houston Chronicle writes, aside from a 38-point outburst in Game 2, shooting guard Jalen Green struggled mightily in his first playoff series, scoring between seven and 12 points in the other six games and shooting 37.5% or below in each of those contests.

Green, who led Houston in scoring (21.0 points per game on .423/.354/.813 shooting) during the regular season, averaged just 13.3 PPG during the postseason, with shooting splits (.372/.295/.667) well below his season-long rates. The 23-year-old finished with eight points on 3-of-8 shooting in Game 7.

“Besides the (second) home game, s–t,” Green said when asked to assess his performance in the series. “Straight s–t. I got to be better. First playoffs is no excuse. Yeah, I’ve got to be better.”

According to Alexander, Warriors defensive stalwart Draymond Green said slowing down Jalen Green was a primary focus for Golden State.

“We did a good job on him to start the series and I think that rattled his confidence a little bit,” said Draymond Green. “This isn’t something he’s been apart of before. He’s good young player. He’ll learn from his mistakes, but you’ve got to give the guys credit who were guarding him. … Anybody who was on him, he was a focal point. We know what they are capable of when he’s scoring and so we really wanted to take him out of this series.”

Houston signed Jalen Green to a three-year, $105MM rookie scale extension last fall. That deal, which also includes a 10% trade kicker, will begin in 2025/26. Given the way the offense — and Green — struggled, Alexander anticipates “non-stop” questions this offseason about how Houston can improve on that end of the court, as well as Green’s future with the team.

Here’s more on the Rockets:

While the end result certainly wasn’t what he wanted, second-year swingman Amen Thompson continued his strong play to conclude the series after struggling in the first few games, per Greg Rajan of The Houston Chronicle. Thompson, who chipped in nine rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block, led the team in scoring (24 points) and was the only Rocket to shoot over 50% from the field (9-of-16) in Game 7.
As Rajan writes, Thompson attended Stephen Curry‘s basketball camp growing up in California, and the four-time champion was effusive in his praise of the 22-year-old. “I talked to him right after the game,” Curry said. “I kind of saw him develop in front of everyone’s eyes. I know people (who) watched the Rockets play night in and night out over the last year have seen the potential and raw athleticism, the hunger and he’s a dawg. He showed all seven games and he’s going to be a problem, for sure. He’s going to try to develop his game, especially offensively, but defensively, he’s a freak athlete and I think he loves the challenge and loves to be in the fight. He was tough all series and kind of crazy that the old man got it done.”
Adding shooting should be a top priority for the Rockets this summer, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. With several promising young players and a surplus of draft assets, the Rockets will be one of the main teams to follow on the trade market, and they will be “closely” evaluating all their options on that front, Iko reports. Citing team sources, Iko also says Houston is “hopeful” about its chances of having long-term relationships with Tari Eason and Jabari Smith, who are both eligible for rookie scale extensions this summer.
Greg Rajan and Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle pass along what the Rockets had to say after their season ended, while Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle focuses on what the team learned during the ’24/25 campaign.
Bobby Marks of ESPN and Mark Deeks of HoopsHype recently previewed Houston’s offseason. Determining what to do with Fred VanVleet‘s team option, possible extensions for Eason and Smith, and re-signing backup center Steven Adams are among the decisions the front office will face this summer.
In case you missed it, VanVleet and the Rockets have mutual interest in continuing their relationship, though what his contract will look like remains a question mark.

VanVleet, Rockets Have Mutual Interest In Continuing Relationship

May 5th, 2025 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

After scoring 26 points in Game 5 and 29 in Game 6 to help the Rockets force a win-or-go-home game in Houston on Sunday, veteran point guard Fred VanVleet couldn’t push his young team over the top in Game 7. He made another trio of three-pointers and had 17 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Rockets, whose season ended with a 103-89 loss to Golden State.

VanVleet, who signed a three-year, maximum-salary contract with Houston during the 2023 offseason, has a team option worth nearly $44.9MM on that deal for 2025/26. While it remains to be seen whether or not the Rockets intend to exercise that option, post-game comments from head coach Ime Udoka and VanVleet on Sunday made it clear that there’s mutual interest in continuing the relationship.

“I think both sides want to be here and want him here,” Udoka said (Twitter video link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). “From day one, the importance of him at the point guard position, leading us in a lot of ways and allowing guys to grow at the same time. … He’s a huge part of our growth. Love everything he’s done. Perfect combination of on-ball (and) off-ball for our guards and our young guys to grow. Obviously would love to have him back and I think the feeling’s mutual.”

As Udoka alludes to, the Rockets targeted VanVleet in large part because of his defense, toughness, and championship experience. His offensive numbers since arriving in Houston (15.9 PPG and 6.9 APG on .400/.369/.842 shooting) have been just solid, not spectacular, but he has played a key role in guiding a young team to the next level. The Rockets won no more than 22 games in any of the three years before VanVleet arrived, but have gone 93-71 since signing him.

For his part, VanVleet echoed his head coach’s comments and expressed a desire to remain in Houston in ’25/26 and beyond.

“Obviously, I put my heart and soul into this and this is where I want to be,” VanVleet said (Twitter video link). “It’s definitely a family situation. I’ve got a lot of love for our coaching staff and (general manager) Rafael (Stone) and the Fertitta family and just what we set out to do when I had my free agent meeting two years ago and we’re on that track. It was never a short-term vision — it was a long-term goal. We’re on track, we’re on schedule.

“It’s a tough way to lose and end the season, but my mind’s very far away from contract stuff right now. We’ll get to that when it’s time.”

With lucrative new extensions for Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green taking effect this summer, the Rockets would likely prefer to reduce VanVleet’s cap hit. Picking up his option would bring the team’s guaranteed commitments to $176MM+ for nine players next season. The luxury tax line is projected to be at $187.9MM.

Given that context, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Houston declines VanVleet’s $44.9MM option with an understanding that he’d accept a longer-term deal paying him less money in 2025/26 but increasing his overall guarantee across multiple years. If the Rockets decide they’re comfortable with that $44.9MM cap charge next season, they could also exercise the option and explore a more team-friendly extension that begins in ’26/27.

And-Ones: Award Announcements, Draft Assets, Fournier, NBC Theme Song

May 4th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA will announce the Coach of the Year award winner on Monday evening, the league’s PR department tweets.

Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers), J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons) and Ime Udoka (Rockets) are the three finalists. Atkinson, who led Cleveland to the best record in the East, is considered a heavy favorite to win the award.

The Executive of the Year award will be announced on Tuesday and the Social Justice Champion will be revealed on Wednesday.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Not surprisingly, the Thunder are ranked No. 1 in the league in terms of draft assets by ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo. They could potentially have three first-rounders in this year’s draft. They have six extra first-rounders in future years, plus swap rights to three years. They also own 17 future second-rounders. The Nets, Jazz, Rockets and Hornets round out the top five.
Evan Fournier, who is currently looking to win a EuroLeague championship with Olympiacos in Greece, spoke about a handful of topics, including his disappointing experience with the Knicks, in an interview with Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (subscription required). Fournier played two-and-a-half seasons in New York and finished last season with the Pistons.
“Roundball Rock” is back. NBC will bring back the sports theme song next season when the network begins its 11-year media rights deal to air NBA games. Music composer and radio and TV personality John Tesh wrote “Roundball Rock,” which became popular during NBC’s coverage of the league from 1990-2002, according to Jenna West of The Athletic.

Rockets Notes: VanVleet, Udoka/Popovich, Zone Defense

May 4th, 2025 at 3:10pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Seasoned Rockets guard Fred VanVleet, who has seemingly been getting better in each successive playoff game against Golden State, is confident that his young teammates will be prepared for Game 7, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape.

VanVleet scored 29 points and handed out eight assists while leading Houston to a 115-107 Game 6 victory to knot the series at 3-3.

“We got so much talent just as long as they don’t get sidetracked,” VanVleet said. “Game 1 it was like, ‘Oh my God.’ And then Game 3 on the road was a little shaky. But other than that, they are so good. Just go out there and play your game. I just try to keep them calm and keep them focused on just playing the game. Don’t get worried about all the other stuff.”

The Rockets fell to a 3-1 hole against the lower-seeded, more experienced Warriors, but their youth, size, and athleticism has helped propel the team to consecutive victories. Now, the action shifts to Houston for a decisive Game 7.

There’s more out of Houston:

Longtime Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who retained his president title while stepping down as coach this week, gave his former assistant, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, some advice that helped him extend the Golden State series, per Sam Amick of The Athletic. Udoka had also played for Popovich on the Spurs, from 2007-09 and then again in 2010-11. While Udoka wasn’t willing to share the details, he said Popovich “gave me some pointers.” Houston is facing off against another Popovich disciple, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who played for him in San Antonio and was a Team USA assistant during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
The Rockets’ intimidating zone defense is a big reason why they’ve managed to extend this Warriors series, writes Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscriber link). “It’s a weird zone,” reserve center Steven Adams said. “Yeah, I don’t know. It’s just like a bizarre one, but it works.” Per Lerner, Houston is employing a 2-3 zone attack. Two guards are positioned at the top of the floor, with frontcourt players handling the back line. VanVleet previously discussed the efficacy of the zone approach.
In case you missed it, Hoops Rumors’ Luke Adams recently ran a poll regarding the outcome of Game 7.

Warriors Notes: Butler, Lineup Changes, Looney, Kuminga, Game 7

May 3rd, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors missed two chances to close out their first-round series with the Rockets, but they remain confident going into Sunday’s Game 7, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Golden State was blown out in Game 5 and watched Houston pull away in the fourth quarter of Game 6, but there were no signs of panic in the locker room after Friday’s loss.

“We’re good. We’re smiling,” Jimmy Butler said. “We’re listening to our music, celebrating life. We’re ready to compete. We were ready to compete tonight. Things didn’t go our way. OK, we’re going to be ready to compete on Sunday. We’re going to make the game go our way.”

The Warriors believe their experience in high-stakes games will ultimately decide the series, Youngmisuk adds. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have a 3-2 record in seventh games during their time together, with the last one coming in 2023 when they won handily at Sacramento. Butler has been in four Game 7s, going 2-2.

Many of the Rockets’ core players are going through their first playoff experience, but Youngmisuk notes that they have some veterans who’ve been in this situation before. Jeff Green, Steven Adams, Fred VanVleet and Aaron Holiday have collectively been in 10 seventh games.

There’s more on the Warriors:

Steve Kerr made two changes to his starting lineup before Game 6 — replacing Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski with Buddy Hield and Gary Payton II — and he might consider revising it again on Sunday, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Slater explains that Golden State is trying to get Alperen Sengun involved in actions involving Curry, but the zones Houston has been employing are making it easier for Sengun to avoid that matchup. Slater suggests that Kevon Looney could see more time to battle against Adams after playing just two minutes on Friday.
Kerr said putting Jonathan Kuminga back into the rotation is “100 percent on the table” for Game 7 (Twitter video link from Slater). Kuminga has made just two appearances in the series, logging 26 minutes in a Game 2 loss and 17 minutes in a Game 3 win.
Butler dismissed concerns that the veteran Warriors are being worn down by a younger, more athletic opponent, per Ann Killion of The San Francisco Chronicle. “We’ll be all right,” Butler said. “I’m 35, I can’t remember how old Steph is (37), Dray is 35, too. Everybody’s got to travel the same distance. Ain’t like we’re going to go around the world and land in Houston and they got only a five-minute flight to Houston. They’ve got to travel just like we’ve got to travel.”

Poll: Who Will Win Rockets/Warriors Game 7?

May 3rd, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite going up against a No. 2 seed as a No. 7 team that required a play-in victory to clinch a playoff spot, the Warriors were considered by oddsmakers to be solid favorites in their first-round series against the Rockets.

In a competitive Western Conference, Golden State finished the regular season with only four fewer wins than Houston and was the better team after adding Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, ranking third in the NBA in wins (23) and net rating (+9.2) between Butler’s debut and the end of the season. The Warriors also had a major edge in experience over the Rockets, whose young core would be playing in its first postseason series.

Through four games, it looked like the oddsmakers were right. The Warriors held a 3-1 series lead and had deployed their defense (ranked No. 1 in the NBA since Butler’s debut) to great effect, holding the Rockets to just 94.7 points per game in Houston’s three losses.

But the Rockets may have figured something out during the last two games, both of which they led from nearly start to finish. As the Warriors struggled to find five-man units they liked, subbing out starting guard Brandin Podziemski in Game 6 for Gary Payton II, Houston has found success with bigger lineups featuring center Steven Adams, who was a +30 in 48 minutes during those two victories.

And while it may not be sustainable, Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet has looked more like Stephen Curry than Curry himself in Games 5 and 6, knocking down 10-of-15 three-pointers (66.7%) and outscoring his Warriors counterpart by a 55-42 margin.

Jalen Green, Houston’s leading scorer during the season, still hasn’t found his groove in the playoffs — outside of his 38-point outburst in Game 2, he has averaged just 9.4 PPG on 30.2% shooting in the other five games. The Warriors also still have the experience advantage, as Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green are no strangers to Game 7 showdowns, whereas Rockets youngsters like Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith will be experiencing one for the first time.

But the Rockets have the momentum, they have the home-court advantage, and they’ve made Golden State look old and tired over the last couple games, as Marcus Thompson II writes for The Athletic. Curry continues to battle a thumb issue, while Butler is coming off a pelvic contusion. It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if the veteran Warriors bring their A-games on Sunday, but it’s also unclear how much they have left in the tank.

With all that in mind, it’s perhaps no surprise that oddsmakers are giving a slight edge to Houston — according to BetOnline.ag, the Rockets are 2.5-point favorites.

We want to know what you think. Will the Warriors hold off the young, upstart Rockets, or will Houston complete its comeback from a 3-1 deficit and set up a second-round matchup against Minnesota?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to make your predictions and share your thoughts!

Rockets Notes: Adams, Zones, VanVleet, More

May 3rd, 2025 at 11:23am CST by Rory Maher

Veteran center Steven Adams missed about half of the 2022/23 season with a knee injury. That same injury kept him on the shelf for the entire ’23/24 campaign. After a 21-month absence, Adams returned to action in late October.

The Rockets brought Adams along slowly to open ’24/25, frequently giving him extra rest days and limiting his playing time. He wound up making 58 regular season appearances and averaging a career-low 13.7 minutes per game.

While his production looked fairly modest on the surface — he averaged 3.9 points and 5.6 rebounds — Adams quietly posted the best offensive rebounding percentage of his career. He was also second in the team in net rating differential, only trailing All-Star center Alperen Sengun.

That trend has carried over to the postseason as well — Adams has been terrific in the Rockets’ first-round series with Golden State. The Rockets are plus-53 in Adams’ 129 playoff minutes and are minus-38 in the 159 minutes he’s been on the bench. The two-big pairing of Adams and Sengun has been particularly effective against the Warriors, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports notes (via Twitter).

Adams wound up playing a season-high 31 minutes in Friday’s Game 6 victory in San Francisco, recording 17 points, five rebounds, one steal and three blocks. After falling in a 3-1 hole, the Rockets have now evened the series at three games apiece heading into Sunday’s Game 7.

“Adams was fantastic tonight,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after the game, per Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle. “He’s having a great impact,” added Warriors forward/center Draymond Green.

Adams, 31, is playing on expiring $12.6MM contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Here’s more on the Rockets:

Head coach Ime Udoka has befuddled the Warriors by deploying a variety of zone defenses over the past two games, with Adams often used as the anchor, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. That was particularly true of yesterday’s fourth quarter, when Golden State only managed one field goal over an eight-minute stretch to open the final period. “Just attention to detail,” Fred VanVleet said. “Trying to find the shooters. We’ve been experimenting with some things in the zone and having the bigs on the back line, and then just morphing and flying around. Half the time, we don’t even know what the hell we’re doing out there. I’m sure it’s hard to game plan against but just flying around, having effort, being physical. We know the guys that we want to limit their touches and shots, make it tough on them.”
Former All-Star guard VanVleet had arguably his best performance of the series in Game 6, scoring an extremely efficient 29 points to go along with eight rebounds and eight assists in 40 minutes. As Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle details, VanVleet had no idea the Rockets would be in this position when he signed with Houston a couple years ago. “You always dream of the moment, the best moment possible, and rising to the occasion and building up a team,” VanVleet said. “But I think first and foremost, it was hard to see that part when I first got there, first practice and first training camp. We just had so much work to do. But it’s just a testament to these young guys and how far they’ve come in such a short amount of time. I can bark all day. Ime can bark all day. It’s not gonna matter if these guys didn’t put the work in, if they weren’t hungry, if they weren’t selfless, they weren’t confident, they weren’t talented. So I mean, they get all the credit in the world. They’re making me look good.“
Assistant coach Will Dunn made it clear that VanVleet has been critical to Houston’s rise over the past two seasons — the coaching staff refers to him as “The General” due to his position and the way in which he motivates himself and teammates, according to Lerner. “He has the best pulse on our team. He knows exactly what our team needs to hear,” Dunn said. “He’s had huge moments and huge series. He’s not scared of the moment. Every single chance when he has a chance to take a big shot, he’s gonna step into it and shoot like he’s gonna make it.”

Rockets Notes: Thompson, Brooks, Curry, VanVleet, Green

May 1st, 2025 at 1:18pm CST by Rory Maher

Second-year swingman Amen Thompson was excellent in helping the Rockets stave off elimination on Wednesday, filling the stat sheet with 25 points, six rebounds, three assists, five steals and three blocks. Houston outscored Golden State by 32 points during Thompson’s 35 minutes. The 22-year-old became the first player since Charles Barkley in 1993 to record 25 points, five steals, and three blocks in a playoff game, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com.

In addition to his highly efficient offensive performance — he was 8-of-12 from the field and 8-of-9 from the foul line — Thompson slowed down Stephen Curry, limiting the two-time MVP to 13 points (on 4-of-12 shooting) and seven assists in 25 minutes.

“He took it personal, and that’s what we need from him every single night,” Dillon Brooks said. “As a defender, you have to take the matchup personal. He was reading Steph, reading a lot of the guys, staying in front, being disciplined on the defensive end without reaching.

“We need that Amen every single game because we’re going to go against guys like Steph again. That same mentality, that tenacity that he was playing with gives us a lot of energy, gives us a lot of extra possessions, and it makes their best player timid and think. That’s what we need: their best players to think, think, think the game instead of playing in the flow.”

Here’s more on the Rockets, who are now down 3-2 in their first-round series vs. Golden State:

Brooks also had a strong performance in Game 5, scoring an efficient 24 points and holding Jimmy Butler to just eight points on 2-of-10 shooting. After the game, he spoke to Kelly Iko of The Athletic about how playing against the Warriors multiple times over the years has helped him learn to maintain his composure. “My energy, my enthusiasm, my passion for the game can override and f–k up a game,” Brooks told The Athletic. “I learned that from years of playing in the playoffs and understanding where things went wrong. To win against these guys, you have to be composed at all times. The way they play is very helter-skelter. They’re going to make you play with passion — with Draymond (Green) and Steph (Curry) on that team. Me learning and playing against these guys a lot in my career, being composed is the way to go.”
Asked during his post-game press conference, whether he has been targeting Curry’s injured right thumb, Brooks didn’t deny it, Ron Kroichick writes for The Houston Chronicle. “I’m playing the game,” Brooks said. “Shoot, if you’re going to come play the game injured, whatever you’ve got, it’s all about the game. If I had an injured ankle, I would attack that ankle every single time. So whatever they’re saying on the broadcast, they can keep saying it.”
After struggling with his shot for the first three games of the series, veteran guard Fred VanVleet has caught fire over the past two, including scoring a game-high 26 points on Wednesday, notes Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle. For his part, VanVleet says he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win. “I’m here to share and lead and quarterback and put guys in positions, but I still have to play at a high level if we’re going to be a good team,” said VanVleet. “I’ve been able to get back to that over the last couple of games. There’s so much going on and so much is new to this team and we’re playing so many young guys, this is their first experience. Their heads get to spinning a little bit at times. Just trying to calm them down and get them into good spots. If we play our brand of basketball at a high level, I feel good about us against anybody.”
Jalen Green bumped knees in the first quarter of Game 5, but he says he “should be good” to go for Friday’s Game 6, according to Reid Laymance of The Houston Chronicle.

Rockets In Search Of ‘Elite Offensive Engine’

April 30th, 2025 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets will need more from Jalen Green in Game 5 against Golden State if they want to stave off elimination on Wednesday, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. As Iko details, an aggressive Warriors defensive game plan has been a problem for Green, who went off for 38 points in Houston’s Game 2 win but has scored just 24 total points on 10-of-34 shooting in the team’s three losses and wasn’t on the court during crunch time in Game 4.

“It’s his first experience in the playoffs, and teams throw different looks at you,” teammate Fred VanVleet said after the Rockets’ Game 4 loss. “There’s a lot of ups and downs. There’s a lot that you have to deal with, and I’m proud of how far he’s come since I’ve been here as a player. But we need him to be playing at his best and at a high level, and he takes our team to a different gear. So we’ll look at the film and see how we can help him be more effective.”

According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Green’s struggles in his first playoff series have once again highlighted the fact that the 52-win Rockets are missing the “elite offensive engine that all great teams need.” While the roster, built on defense and toughness, feature a handful of solid scorers, it lacks the sort of dynamic offensive player who can be trusted to get a big basket in a half-court situation with the game on the line.

“We know in the playoffs sometimes, it boils down to if you have an unguardable guy in the last five minutes that can close the game,” VanVleet told ESPN. “We got everything else. I don’t think it’s like some savior that’s going to come here and save all our sins, but it’s like, do you have a guy you could throw it to the last five minutes in a playoff series that can win you games when it matters the most? I think that if we had that, I think we would be considered more title favorites.”

As MacMahon outlines, the Rockets are still holding out hope that one of their rising stars can become that sort of player rather than focusing on bringing in someone from outside the organization. “We are not in the business of predetermining ceilings for our players,” general manager Rafael Stone recently told MacMahon.

“We’re all on the same page as far as what we have in our organization and wanting to see it through and seeing what all these young guys can become,” Rockets head coach Ime Udoka added. “When you have this many high draft picks, you want to see who becomes what. I understood when I came to take the job that we were going to try to develop these guys and see what we can get to. I think they’ve all shown growth and potential. And the next step is, who can be that consistent leader for us?

“So to try to expedite the process by going out and getting one piece now is kind of doing a disservice to what we all talked about coming into it. That’s our vision, and I think the playoffs this year will give us a good picture of that and put guys in different situations and high-pressure situations to see how they react to it.”

Green is one young player whom the Rockets still believe has untapped potential. He has averaged over 20 points per game through his first four NBA seasons, but he hasn’t always scored those points efficiently or consistently. Still, VanVleet thinks it would be hard for Houston to find another shooting guard with the 23-year-old’s “upside or talent level.”

“I don’t know what Jalen will look like when he’s 26, 27, 28 after playoff series,” VanVleet told ESPN. “And that’s the upside, where it’s like potential can get a little intoxicating. He has the talent. There’s no reason for him not to reach that level. He’s got to go through it; he’s got to fail.”

Based on his production through four seasons, 22-year-old center Alperen Sengun has earned comparisons to Nikola Jokic or – more realistically – Domantas Sabonis, as MacMahon notes. Rockets front office staffers have also mulled the idea of whether 22-year-old Amen Thompson, who is considered untouchable in trades, could eventually run the offense as a Russell Westbrook-type point guard, according to MacMahon.

“He’s already become a really good NBA player,” Stone said of Thompson. “He should be much, much better than this year next year, and that should go on for the foreseeable future. Great kid, works really hard, is really smart. Everything we’ve asked him to do, he’s done. He’s done it quickly and at times shockingly easily.”

Meanwhile, even though 2024’s third overall pick Reed Sheppard didn’t play much as a rookie, there are some people within the organization who believe he has the most offensive upside of any of the Rockets’ youngsters and has the potential to become a star, per MacMahon.

“I think Reed’s just a really, really talented player,” Stone said. “Very few people shoot as well as him. Very few people pass as well as him, and more even than pass, see the offense so clearly and so easily. That’s not really a skill that is taught, not at the level he can do it. We think that he has a chance to be really special.”

Because they want to see what their current young core becomes, the Rockets have held off on entering the fray for any of the stars who have become available on the trade market in the past year. But as MacMahon points out, turning to the trade market would be a solid Plan B for a Houston team that could put together a very appealing package for any star using some combinations of its draft assets and young players.

Patrick Fertitta, who is the son of team owner Tilman Fertitta and works with the Rockets’ basketball operations department, told MacMahon there’s “no question in my mind” that there are players on the current roster capable of becoming the best player on a championship team. “With that being said,” he added, “any time a guy at that level becomes available, it would be remiss not to do your due diligence.”

While Stone, Udoka, and the Fertittas are committed to letting the Rockets’ young core continue to grow together, there’s an expectation that the front office will at least have internal discussions this offseason about pursuing a star via trade, according to MacMahon, who observes that Kevin Durant, Zion Williamson, and perhaps even Giannis Antetokounmpo are among the impact players who could become available this summer.

Will the results of this first-round playoff series significantly impact the Rockets’ thinking as the front office weighs roster changes in the coming months?

“Probably a little bit but not a lot,” Stone told Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required) earlier this month. “I’m definitely a believer in getting a lot of information and the playoffs will tell us a little bit about our team, but 82 games tell you a lot. … Every big intense game tells us a little bit more than just an average game, but it’s still just a game or series, and definitely not the case where you want to let a small sample size overwhelm a big one.”

Patrick Fertitta agreed that it wouldn’t be in the team’s best interests to weigh the postseason too heavily.

“This league and this business is a very emotional one,” he told ESPN. “There’s the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, and it’s important that you don’t make wholesale changes, or even changes on the margins, based on emotion. … Even though it can be exciting to feel like you are as close as you may be, it’s important to move with the same level of patience that got us to where we are and to make sure that we’re always making decisions based on not just today but the future.”

Jimmy Butler Talks Pelvic Injury, Back-And-Forth With Brooks

April 29th, 2025 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

After missing Game 3 of the Warriors‘ first-round series vs. Houston due to a pelvic contusion, Jimmy Butler was back on the floor for Game 4 on Monday and played a key role in Golden State’s narrow victory. Speaking to reporters after the game, the star forward admitted he was in “a lot of pain,” per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

“Did you see me on that chase-down of Dillon Brooks?” Butler asked Anthony Slater of The Athletic, referencing a second-quarter play when he had to sprint after Brooks to stop the Rockets forward from finishing an easy break-away layup (video link).

Butler got there and committed a foul to prevent the basket, but his mobility looked compromised and he wasn’t running full-speed, as he acknowledged after the game.

As Slater relays, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters that Butler would “probably miss another week or two” as a result of his injury if this were the regular season, which Butler didn’t dispute. “But it’s the playoffs and he’s Jimmy Butler,” Kerr said. “This is what he does.”

“He played through the injury,” teammate Draymond Green added, per Youngmisuk. “Was beautiful. But what his presence does for this team is humongous. The first three quarters, he couldn’t move. Not sure how he started moving in the fourth quarter, but he never complained. He stuck with it.”

Butler, who finished with a team-high 27 points, also recorded six assists and five rebounds while getting to the free throw line 12 times. He came up big defensively too, soaring in to grab a crucial rebound off a missed shot by Alperen Sengun that would’ve given the Rockets the lead with five seconds left in the game (video link).

As Green observed, Butler seemed to get better as the game progressed, scoring 14 of his points in the fourth quarter and not spending any team on the bench during that final frame.

“Your body starts to warm up. You start to feel a little bit better. You gain confidence,” Butler explained. “People start talking to you. Then good things happen.”

Asked whether his reference to “people talking” to him was about Brooks, Butler confirmed as much. When a reporter asked a follow-up question about whether he and Brooks were having “fun” going back and forth at each other, Butler made it clear that wasn’t how he viewed it.

“No, we’re not having fun,” Butler said (Twitter video link). “Get me on the record with this: I don’t like Dillon Brooks. We’re never having fun. I’m a fierce competitor. He’s a fierce competitor. There ain’t nothing fun about that. … I don’t think anybody is trying to be friends with anybody on either team, that’s for sure.”

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