Houston Rockets shouldn’t re-sign Iman Shumpert this summer

The Houston Rockets made a move at the deadline last season for a perimeter defender and 3-point threat. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out as expected.

The Houston Rockets struck out a bit in free agency/the trade market last offseason when they were looking to improve. Instead, Daryl Morey and the front office had to use the trade deadline and free agent signings to make the team better.

Some moves, like Austin Rivers and Kenneth Faried, worked well and gave the Rockets extra help off the bench. Other moves, though, didn’t quite pan out, much like the ones in the offseason.

One of the ones that didn’t quite work out is Iman Shumpert. Near the trade deadline, they dealt their first round pick in a 3-team trade for the 3-and-D wing. As you can probably tell, I don’t think the Rockets should look to bring him back this summer.

Why he struggled

Iman Shumpert never quite fit in with the team like it looked like he would on paper. He shot the ball well from 3 with his former team, the Sacramento Kings, at a 36.6% clip. He was a great glue guy for the young Kings but that didn’t translate to the Rockets.

His defense was great and one of the reasons he found minutes in the playoffs. Shump is an expert perimeter defender and constantly hustled on that end. But his offense was atrocious and teams might as well have left him wide open. He shot just 29.6% from deep during his time with the Rockets and struggled to buy into the system, taking midrange shots when he shouldn’t have been.

We’ll give him credit, though, he stepped up his game in the playoffs and actually played pretty well for Houston. His percentage went back up to around what he shot in Sacramento this year and he was able to be a good defender off the bench.

Shumpert still has a spot in the league, but it probably isn’t with Houston. I could see him working out if given more time to get used to the system, but it isn’t really worth the roster spot.