2 studs, 1 dud from Rockets' nail biting loss to Bucks

The Houston Rockets have enjoyed a fantastic 2024-25 season start.

They were never going to win every game.

The term "trap game" is often used to refer to a game that a team loses due to a false sense of security. The term "scheduled loss" is also popular.

Either of those terms could have described last night's 101-100 loss against the Bucks.

The Bucks have struggled in 2024-25. They still roster Giannis Antetokounkmpo (for now) and Damian Lillard. On the second night of a back-to-back, that was too much for the Rockets to overcome.

Here are two studs and a dud from their loss.

1, Stud: Jalen Green

On a surface level, Green wasn't great. He had 21 points on 9/24 shooting from the field. That is not peak efficiency.

In the fourth quarter, he came alive. Green had 10 points in the final frame. His capacity to score in bunches nearly got the Rockets a win after rallying from a 14-point deficit.

Let's not mince words - Green has been disappointing in 2024-25. His True Shooting % (TS% of 51.6% is a career low. After a torrid start to the year, Green is back to his unreliable ways.

Still, in Monday's fourth quarter, he reminded the world of what they once saw in him. Nobody should be banking on Green's future with the Rockets. They've outpaced expectations this year despite his play, not because of it.

He still deserves credit for his clutch play against the Bucks.

2. Stud: Tari Eason

Eason seems to earn the stud designation regularly. There's a reason for that.

Shooting tends to be highly variant. Energy is static. When a player plays with energy, they typically bring it every night. Eason brings it:

Every single night.

In Monday's contest, he had 9 points, 14 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Eason's defensive impact can't be overstated. lt's a near certainty that he'll make All-Defense in his NBA career

The Rockets may trade for a star. They may keep this roster together for the long haul. Whatever they do, they need to keep Eason on the roster. He gives them an edge that they won't find anywhere else in the NBA.

3. Dud: Fred VanVleet

Arguably, I'm being unfair. Green was 9/24 from the field. VanVleet was 9/23. Why was the latter a dud?

Well, Green has earned some developmental reps. He still has a chance to be part of this team's future. By contrast, VanVleet is a placeholder. He's not the point guard of the future.

So, he should probably stop shooting the Rockets out of games.

Moreover, Green was 3/8 from three-point range. VanVleet was 3/11. His habit of launching threes off the dribble wasn't so alarming when they connected with acceptable frequency. These days, those shots have Rockets fans gasping in horror. The Rockets need VanVleet to regulate his shot selection.

If he can't, the losses could begin to pile up.