5 Players the Rockets gave up on at exactly the right time

The Houston Rockets have drafted numerous young players over the years, leading to the need to part ways with some of them. In some cases, they gave up at exactly the right time.

For some fans, there's no right time to give up on a young player. It's easy to invest in a young guy's potential - as a fan. As an organization, it's necessary to make educated guesses. Sometimes, you've got to decide that you don't believe in a guy anymore.

Who knows? Any of these guys might make it somewhere else. For miscellaneous reasons, the Rockets had to give up on them anyway. Some choices will be more controversial than others:

But for my money, the Rockets made the right call in each of these cases.

Usman Garuba

Full disclosure: I was a Garuba guy.

The idea of Garuba was tantalizing. He looked like an archetypical modern combo big who could guard the perimeter and the interior. The issue was that he couldn't quite guard either. Garuba was reasonably quick-footed for a 5, but not quite agile enough to guard wings. He was a good rim protector for a 4, but not tall enough to be a primary anchor.

In the old parlance, he was a "tweener". Versatility is a commodity in today's NBA, but there's a difference between being a B-level defender in multiple areas and a C-level one. Offensively, Garuba offered a little stationary passing, and that's about it.

Perhaps that's why he's not in the NBA anymore.

Josh Christopher

Everyone else on this list is still in the league - albeit, in some cases, barely. Christopher is one such case.

Last year, he played 14 games with the Heat's main squad. He managed 4.9 minutes per game during those contests. Christopher spent most of the season with the Heat's G-League affiliates.

Christopher is one of those guards who has undeniable offensive ability, but perhaps just not quite enough to justify a primary role. Meanwhile, he's lacking in secondary skills too. Some players are NBA-level talents without clear-cut NBA roles, and that seems to be the case for Christopher. Perhaps the Heat will find a role for him yet:

But the Rockets rightfully decided they wouldn't.

TyTy Washington

Like Christopher, Washington is on the fringe of the league. When a guy spends his first three seasons on three different teams, it doesn't typically portend future NBA success.

He's a different sort of guard than Christopher. In theory, Washington has those secondary abilities. He's a heady ball-handler who could be a steadying force for an NBA second unit - if he could shoot. Unfortunately for Washington, his career 23.4% three-point shooting disqualifies him from playing that role.

Of the 3 players named so far, Washington perhaps has the most NBA potential. Three-point shooting tends to vary wildly. If Washington could raise his accuracy to a respectable level, he could be a solid backup guard in this league.

Until then, Rockets fans won't miss him too badly.

Cam Whitmore

Now, the article starts to get controversial.

Some Rockets fans will suggest that the Rockets specifically gave up on Whitmore at the wrong time. He's still figuring his NBA self out, and he's got infinitely more potential than anyone else named here.

Sure. The fact is that Whitmore wasn't ready to contribute to a team with title aspirations. His 7.4% Assist Percentage in 2024-25 suggests the obvious: This kid is a black hole offensively. Whitmore isn't a score-first player: He's a score-first, second, third, fourth, and fifth player.

The Wizards won't mind. This is a team in an optimal position to give Whitmore a chance to iron out his wrinkles. The Rockets are not, and that's why they were smart to move him.

Jalen Green

If you didn't see this coming, you're not a regular reader. If you disagree with it, you won't become one now.

Yet, lots of Rockets fans would agree that it was Green's time to go. Others would protest. Green was Houston's most dynamic perimeter scorer during a 52-win season. What's the problem here?

Well, the Rockets largely won in spite of that fact. Green was considerably below league average efficiency for the fourth straight season. The theory is simple:

How many games could the Rockets win if their most dynamic perimeter scorer was - bear with me - good?

Now, the Rockets will find out. They've moved Green for Kevin Durant. He may thrive in Phoenix, but the Rockets were wise to cut ties with the young guard:

Even if they broke some hearts in the process.