1 Pivotal question facing every Rockets' player entering training camp

Excitement is in the air. Like 29 other fanbases, Houston Rockets fans are ready. Soon, the season will get underway.

It’s nearly training camp season. When the team gets together to prepare for the season, anticipation mounts. It happens every year - but some seasons just feel bigger, don’t they?

This feels like a big one for the Rockets. Last year, the goal was broad - the Rockets needed to improve. This year, it’s unambiguous.

The Rockets are in playoff-or-bust mode

A leap from one of their young players could help them get there. Steady play from the veterans will be useful as well. We’ve got questions about all these guys:

Here’s one for every player on the roster leading up to training camp.

One pivotal question for every Rocket

Reed Sheppard - is he NBA ready?

When a team is on playoff-or-bust mode, they don’t tend to lean on rookies. That could be a complicating factor for the Rockets when it comes to Sheppard: he has a skill set they desperately need.

In all likelihood, he’s the most gifted shooter on this roster from day one. It will be interesting to see if the rest of Sheppard’s game is ready for the big leagues. Given Ime Udoka’s principles, his defensive ability will likely dictate his playing time to a large extent.

Jalen Green - can he provide positive impact?

We almost wrote “can he break out?”, but we decided on a more modest benchmark.

Sure, we’d all love to see Green ascend to stardom in 2024-25. Given his career trajectory to date, that might not be a fair measure. If Green can just be a consistent positive impact player this year, that should suffice.

Alperen Sengun - where will the improvement come?

Sengun was the Rockets’ best player in 2024-25. He’s a dazzling interior scorer with passing chops to spare. Yet (and stop us if you’ve heard this before), he can be a defensive liability, and he’s a weak floor spacer.

If Sengun can improve either of those facets of his game, he’ll be unstoppable. If he improves his defense, the Rockets should be comfortable building around him by surrounding him with spacing. If his shot comes around, he’ll be a potent enough offensive engine to be worth sacrificing interior defense for.

If he can’t do either of those things, he’ll still be a questionable franchise player.

Steven Adams - can he stay healthy?

Adams’ role next year ought to be simple. He’ll back Sengun up, gobbling up offensive rebounds and setting screens like a human granite statue.

If he can’t stay on the floor, it doesn’t matter. A healthy Adams is one of the best role players in the NBA, but if he’s sidelined, he can’t contribute anything in 2024-25.

AJ Griffin - Is he on the team?

We’ll keep this one brief.

Despite widespread reports that Griffin is retiring, he’s still listed on Houston’s roster.

So, yeah…it would probably be worth sorting that out.

Dillon Brooks - Can he reign in his offense

In 2023-24, Brooks had an isolation frequency of 4.0%. He scored a paltry 0.54 points per possession (PPP) on those plays.

No, 4.0% isn’t a massive number. It’s still large in relation to the points per possession. For example, the Knicks’ OG Anunoby isolated with a frequency of 3.8 with 0.67 PPP.

If Brooks could play more like Anunoby, that would be nice.

Cam Whitmore - Will he see the floor?

Whitmore is an intriguing prospect. Some Rockets fans are enamoured with his potential. Will he be able to flash it in 2024-25?

This isn’t a knock on Whitmore. He’d exceedingly talented. Unfortunately for him, so are the Rockets. If Green does round into form this year, it may be easier to keep a scorer like Whitmore on the bench and prioritize defensive forwards like Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason.

Fred VanVleet - how badly do they need him?

VanVleet’s contributions were immeasurable in 2023-24. He was a tremendous factor in Houston’s turnaround.

That said, he’s exiting his prime as most of this roster hasn’t even entered theirs yet. VanVleet always felt like a stopgap. Are the Rockets ready to pull that plug, or will they need to extend VanVleet’s tenure next summer?

Amen Thompson - What is he?

When Thompson was drafted, he was seen as a point guard. Throughout 2023-24, he found his stride with the Rockets by playing like a center on offense and a forward on the other end.

It poses a simple question: what is this kid? We know we’re excited about Thompson. The myriad of options ahead of him make him one of the most interesting players on this roster.

But what is he?

Jabari Smith Jr. - Can he continue to improve?

Smith Jr. was a bad rookie. We won’t sugarcoat it. After his rookie year, a lot of fans were wondering if he was headed to bust town.

Last year, Smith Jr. was solid. He was a borderline starting-caliber player. That may not be exciting to you, but it should be - Smith Jr. made a rare leap between his rookie and sophomore seasons.

Can he do it again?

Tari Eason - Can he stay healthy?

The same question we asked about Adams applies to Eason. It’s funny - we’re foaming at the mouth to see that duo together.

Will anyone else be able to get an offensive rebound if they’re sharing the floor? We hope we’re able to find out - Eason missed the majority of his sophomore season with an injury.

Jock Landale - Is he a third-string or a backup?

The 2023-24 season was odd for Landale. For much of the year, he looked broken. By March, it seemed like a nagging injury had hindered Landale all along.

Who is Landale? A well-rounded big man who’s impactful enough to be a primary backup, or a “break in case of emergency” player? If Adams does need a rest, we’re hoping to find out in 2024-25.

Jeff Green - Is he ready to retire?

Green isn’t likely to be a major player for the Rockets next year. This is one of the deepest teams in the league, and Green is nearing retirement.

Without injuries, Green is likely to stay glued to the bench. If he is needed, the Rockets will find out if he’s ready to hang his laces up or not.

Aaron Holiday - Can he fend off Sheppard?

The Rockets would surely like for Sheppard to usurp Holiday. That would bode well for the rookie’s long-term projection.

Still, Holiday was solid for the Rockets next year. All he has to do in 2024-25 is the same thing he did in 2023-24. Whether that’s enough to keep him on the floor will be up to Sheppard.