4 Key takeaways from Houston Rockets' preseason performance

The Houston Rockets' preseason is officially over. Nobody is sad about it:

It means that the regular season is about to get underway.

Last night, the Rockets had their final contest against the Spurs. They reportedly treated the game as a "dress rehearsal". The Spurs had other plans. Victor Wembanyama and the bulk of their key players all took the night off.

We can only assume that dastardly Gregg Popovich did that on purpose.

There wasn't much to take from the Rockets' blowout win. Some would argue that there isn't much to take from preseason in general.

Here are four takeaways anyway.

1. Jalen Green may be ready

Preseason or not, the ball won't put itself in the net. That suited Green just fine during the preseason - he was apt at putting the ball in the hoop himself.

In total, Green averaged 31.1 points per 36 minutes on 43.9% shooting from the field and 43.1% shooting from long-range across four preseason games. That is sensational. Who knows whether it's sustainable?

Yet, Green doesn't need to shoot 43.1% from deep to be effective. He does need to be a threat from downtown. His form looks better, and there's reason to be optimistic that his three will fall more regularly in 2024-25.

Please. Please?

2. Cam Whitmore is working on his game

I've hammered Whitmore on his assist percentage more than once. Perhaps he's an avid reader of SpaceCityScoop.

During the preseason, Whitmore averaged 4.3 assists per 36 minutes - more than Alperen Sengun. Granted, he turned the ball over 3.4 times per the same measure.

That isn't good playmaking. Whitmore still deserves credit. He's evidently trying to improve his game. What more can be asked of him?

He doesn't need to develop into LeBron James (although, that would be nice). Whitmore is a scorer by trade. The fact that he's trying to make plays for teammates is encouraging. In time, passing reads should become easier to make, and Whitmore will be an easier player to put on the floor as a result.

He could even be a star.

3. Steven Adams will make an impact

This one isn't necessarily surprising. Adams has been synonymous with impact for his entire NBA career.

Although, injuries have a way of setting players back. It seems Adams is OK. The metrics suggest that he's as impactful as ever.

Granted, that's a small sample size. There are good reasons to believe that group should be effective - dominant rebounding being chief among them - but is there a stat that captures Adams' impact more?

Oh. OK. Adams is a force multiplier. The space that he creates with his screens helps everyone. His ability to help his team win the possession game with his rebounding gives the Rockets a tremendous edge. We're not sure how many minutes per game he'll play in 2024-25, but the Rockets will fare well in the minutes he will see.

4. The Rockets are still too reliant on Fred VanVleet

It can't all be sunshine and rainbows. Let's circle back to those Net Rating stats. VanVleet is leading the Rockets by a longshot:

That's a problem.

VanVleet is not supposed to be this team's best player for much longer. The Rockets' prospects are looking good, but VanVleet has them on training wheels. Can they ride straight when those wheels come off?

This isn't a massive concern. Ultimately, VanVleet should have several good years left in the NBA - perhaps he will be part of the Rockets' next contending core. Still, it would be optimal to see names like Jalen Green, Amen Thompson or Alperen Sengun closer to the top of that list.

Hopefully, that's something we see in the regular season.