Ranking the 6 worst starters of the Rockets' rebuild

Following the trades of superstars Russell Westbrook and James Harden, the Houston Rockets identified a clear need to hit the reset button. Rockets general manager Rafael Stone began the process of rebuilding the roster in hopes of setting the franchise up for the future.

The Rockets started trading away essentially anyone who had value like P.J. Tucker and simply cut veteran players who couldn't fetch their desired asking price, like DeMarcus Cousins and Ben McLemore. The Rockets were then operating in talent evaluation mode, hoping to identify promising prospects that were worthy of stashing for the future.

This is how the franchise landed Kevin Porter Jr. 

Ranking the 6 worst starters of the Rockets' rebuild

The Rockets' tank was effective enough to land them Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson - three players they netted in the top-four of their respective draft classes. The Rockets were even more impressive when drafting outside of the draft lottery, as they landed Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, and Cam Whitmore. 

But the Rockets' rebuild wasn't always peachy and pleasant. Make no mistake about it, there were some dark days.

And even that feels like an understatement. 

Let's take a look at six of the worst starters of the Rockets' rebuild.

Brace yourself. 

6. John Wall

John Wall being on this list may be baffling on the surface. And especially if you're simply looking at his NBA resume.

If that's how you're gauging, I get it. Wall is a five-time All-Star, former All-Defensive team selection, and even made an All-NBA team. That's impressive.

However, Wall was rather unimpressive during his lone season in Houston. The numbers don't necessarily look bad, as he averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 3.2 rebounds but the devil is always in the details.

Wall averaged half as many turnovers as assists (3.5 per game) and had his worst assist-to-turnover ratio of his accomplished career. Furthermore, Wall, who has never been an efficient scorer, saw his efficiency plunge to his lowest mark since his rookie year (49.8 percent true shooting).

Wall was eager to prove that he could still play at a high level after missing a combined 163 games in the previous three seasons before his arrival in the Space City. For this reason, Wall became a bit of a shot chucker, averaging 18 shots per game and 6.2 triples per contest (career-high).

If you are still questioning why Wall is on this list, keep in mind how tirelessly the Rockets worked to find a trade partner for the former top pick, to no avail.

The Rockets realized that they were only going to be able to deal Wall if they attached a future first-round draft pick, which wouldn't have been optimal considering where they were in their rebuild. So they decided it was best to pay him $44 million to not play at all in 2021-22 before paying him $40.8 million to go away.

5. Daniel Theis

Daniel Theis was the Rockets' biggest free-agent acquisition in 2021, as he landed a $36 million contract over four years. Rockets GM Rafael Stone lauded Theis as "a versatile center who impacts both ends of the floor," which seemed like a great addition. At least on paper.

However the fit was never quite there.

Theis' presence led to massive spacing issues for then-rookie Jalen Green. And the fit alongside Christian Wood was clunky, at best.

It wasn't supposed to be that way though. Theis had been viewed as a respectable defender, which should have helped Christian Wood in theory, who was known as the exact opposite. 

Theis posted averages of 8.4 points and 5 rebounds and started 21 of 26 games in Houston, shooting 46.9 percent from the field (career-worst), 29.1 percent from deep, and 67.5 percent from the field. The Rockets went 1-16 after signing Theis and proceeded to give him a bevy of DNPs before trading him and absolving themselves of his contract.

4. Garrison Mathews

This one stings, I have to admit. Mathews became an instant fan favorite, drawing the moniker "Garry Bird", in comparison to NBA legend Larry Bird.

I, personally, noticed that Mathews was still on the free agent market late in 2021 and thought the Rockets should pounce immediately. Here was a 24-year-old who hadn't quite gotten a shot in the NBA, as the Washington Wizards questionably failed to give him a bigger role despite his ability to shoot from deep (38.9 percent from deep through his first two seasons).

Mathews' efficiency from long-range took a bit of a dip, as he made 36 percent of his treys in year one on 5.9 attempts, while averaging 10 points. Mathews didn't provide much else outside of long-range shooting, as he wasn't known as a formidable defender.

In fact, 84 percent of Mathews' field goal attempts came from behind the arc. Mathews often took ill-advised treys early in the shot clock, as he never found a 3-point shot that he didn't like.

In year two, Mathews was relegated to the bench, and his minutes were sliced in half (26.3 to 13.4) year over year. In other words, Mathews fell out of favor rather quickly and was eventually dealt to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that netted the Rockets two second-round picks.

3. Justin Patton

Justin Patton was another signing that sparked my interest. After all, this was a former first-round pick who was selected ahead of Josh Hart, John Collins, OG Anunoby, Kyle Kuzma, and Derrick White.

Patton was a 6'11 big who could step out and shoot the three and was supposed to be a good rim protector, at least based on what he showed in the G-League. Patton finished fourth in the G-League in blocks in 2019-20 (3 per contest) and seemed to possess a skillset that the Rockets didn't have.

In theory.

However, it didn't quite work out that way. Patton averaged just 5.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per contest. Not to mention the shooting inefficiencies- 41.4 percent from the field (which is hard to do as a center), 26.5 percent from deep (on 2.6 attempts), and 48.8 percent true shooting.

Rockets fans likely remember Patton more for John Wall's comments about him on the Run Your Race podcast rather than his play on the court.

"My first year in Houston, we were tanking. We lost 20 in a row. We were tryna lose on purpose. We started starting n- named Justin Patton. We started me, David Nwaba, Jae'Sean Tate, Justin Patton, and somebody else. I'm like bro who the f- can I win a game with with this s-."

Patton's response was perhaps better than anything he ever did on the hardwood (which proves my exact point).

2. Avery Bradley

Avery Bradley was once viewed as one of the best wing defenders in the NBA, and rightfully so. He had earned that reputation after being a tenacious defender and making two All-Defensive teams.

Bradley presented the quintessential 3-and-D skillset, as he fared 39 percent or better from deep in two of his first three seasons as a starter. The Boston Celtics had confidence that Bradley could anchor down on opposing teams' best scoring option and limit them offensively.

However, the Rockets didn't get anything close to that. By the time Bradley arrived in the Space City, he was much later in his career, so perhaps we should shoot him bail there.

Bradley was in his 11st season and had already turned 30 by the time he was traded to the Rockets. So maybe I shouldn't be too harsh.

Tell you what. You judge for yourself.

Bradley averaged 5.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 17 games with the Rockets, shooting 31.4 percent from the field and 27 percent from deep on four attempts per contest. Bradley shot 40.9 percent true shooting, which is horrendous.

Disastrous.

Making matters worse, Bradley added that he was still one of the best defenders in the league, which I'd be surprised if he even believed that.

In five games as a starter in Houston, Bradley averaged 5.6 points, 1.6 turnovers, 35.7 percent from the field, and 28.5 percent from deep (2.8 attempts).

1. Daishen Nix

Where do we start here?

Perhaps on a more positive note, although that will be a daunting task. Let's see if I'm up for it.

Daishen Nix was a former five-star prospect who opted to play for the G-League Ignite as opposed to going to college, because he was that good in high school. However, Nix had a rough showing with the Ignite and went undrafted, leaving Rockets fans feeling as if they had a steal.

Rockets fans began wondering why Stephen Silas wouldn't give Nix more playing time initially. Granted, he didn't quite showcase much as a rookie (40.3 percent from the field/26.9 percent from three/53.3 percent from the charity stripe), but this was an undrafted player who didn't have the benefit of college coaching. So what did you expect?

Nix fared better with the Rio Grande Vipers, the Rockets' G-League affiliate, and even led them to the G-League championship. During the Finals, Nix averaged 25.5 points, 9.5 assists, and 11.5 rebounds..

Nix then had a strong Summer League showing, sporting a statline of 13.4 points, 4.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals, while shooting 45.3 percent from the field, and 45 percent from 3-point land.

Unfortunately, Nix was unable to flash any semblance of his G-League play or his Summer League play in year two, leaving Rockets wanting to see rookie TyTy Washington in place of him. Nix was one of the most inefficient players in the entire league, shooting 34.2 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from deep, 66.7 percent from the line, and 44.7 percent true shooting.

Filthy.

Nix can still say he's accomplished something that most players haven't and won't: having more turnovers than made field goals (112 turnovers vs. 108 shots made).

Disgusting.

And although Nix only started seven games for the Rockets, it's a wonder how he even pulled that off.