Rockets' conference rival is destroying the value of their future assets as we speak

The Houston Rockets own several future picks from the Phoenix Suns. Those who were counting on lottery picks may want to adjust their expectations.

That's not to say it's impossible. The NBA is unpredictable. We've seen teams surpass expectations for a portion of the season only to come back down to earth.

That said, the Suns sure are surging. This team has won 8 of its last 9 games.

That's bad news for Rockets fans.

Rockets rival is on a hot streak

The worst part is how the Suns are doing it, and where the production is coming from.

Devin Booker is having a bounce-back season after struggling in 2024-25. He's averaging 26.9 points and 7.1 assists per game with a solid 59.4 True Shooting % (TS%). There is no indication that the Suns would ever move on from Booker, so we can count him as a long-term piece.

Perhaps Dillon Brooks is likely to regress to his mean, but he's taken on an oversized offensive role this year, averaging 21.4 points per game. Rockets fans know Brooks can be volatile, but the Suns love what they've seen from him so far.

Otherwise, the Suns are getting contributions from young players. Collin Gillespie is having a career year, averaging 11.4 points and 5.1 assists per game. Ryan Dunn's numbers are underwhelming, but he's a defensive ace. Through collective effort, the Suns are having an impressive 11-6 season, but one name is missing:

And it's the one Rockets fans know the most.

Rockets fans are waiting to see Jalen Green

Jalen Green has only played two games so far in 2025-26. He was exceptional in one, and got hurt early in the next.

Ironically, Green was an ironman throughout his entire tenure in Houston. He seldom missed games. Sometimes, some Rockets fans wished he would take some time off:

And that could be a substantial factor for the Suns.

Will Green make the Suns better? They're rolling without him. Could incorporating a typically low-efficiency, high-volume scorer into the game plan prove problematic? We still don't know if Green makes sense next to Booker, either.

Listen. It's entirely possible that Green will have a career year, and the Suns will be a formidable playoff team. Still, Suns fans should need proof of concept before they operate from that assumption.

That said, if Green can contribute for the Suns, it could spell disaster for the Rockets' picks moving forward