The Rockets' Conflicting .500 Start to the Season

With the season a few games underway, the Rockets have been difficult to characterize. From the play of their veterans to that of their young core, the Rockets have been most similar to a seesaw. A team moving from lows to highs in succession.

The Lows of the Rockets' Start:

The Rockets' most glaring weakness would be their occasionally stagnant offense. This was seen in their disastrous 4th quarter against the Hornets and their 2nd quarter of their first contest with the Spurs. Too often, the Rockets have not been able to buy a bucket when they have needed one, whether that would be to secure a lead or to halt their opponents from gaining one.

This so-and-so offense has been the culmination of a couple factors. The first of which is a flawed starting lineup. The coupling of Jabari Smith Jr. and Dillon Brooks together, though defensively beneficial, is redundant offensively. Both players have limited offensive arsenals, with a large amount of their shots being pull up midrange or 3-point jumpers.

Brooks especially is inconsistent on the offensive end, adhering to a binary code of either having a hot hand or being in a vicious shooting spell.

When the Rockets are struggling to buy a bucket, this type of play has often been the culprit, with players slowing down the ball in favor of low percentage jumpers. The flaws of this pairing were particularly highlighted against the Hornets with Smith Jr. scoring 8 points on 2-7 shooting and Brooks scoring 2 points on 1-6 shooting in over 30 minutes of play.

Though he is still coming off an injury, Tari Eason could serve as a remedy to this issue. Eason's multifaceted skillset, including his pesky defense, along with his shooting, finishing, and rebounding, could help diversify the Rockets' offense. So far, in just 15.7 mpg, Eason is averaging 7.0 ppg and 2.3 steals on 56.3 FG%. While putting him into the starting lineup might be a drastic step right now, he is undoubtedly deserving of a bigger role in the team.

Alperen Sengun's play has also left a lot to be desired. He is averaging 14.8 ppg and 12.5 rpg on just 38.6 FG% through four games. To make matters worse, he was completely shutdown and benched in the clutch in both games against the Spurs due to poor play. At the same time, Sengun's slow start is not too concerning when considering a plethora of factors.

As he has just recently recovered from injury, it may take some time for him to get eased in. Along with this, Sengun has shown in the past what he is capable of, and his struggles can be partially chalked up to defenses beginning to recognize him as a threat. Unless this continues on for a significant time, it shouldn't warrant too much worry from fans.

Fred VanVleet's struggles have also been a source of the Rockets' misfortune. Up to this point, he is averaging 14.8 ppg and 6.3 apg on just 34.0 FG%. His game against the Hornets, where he shot just 4-18 from the field, displayed many of his same shortcomings as before. Spotty shot selection and inefficient shooting overall. This combined with his just okay playmaking has been a symbol of the Rockets' unimpressive start to the season.

Though it is far too early to heavily scrutinize any one player, there is no doubt that a lot of the burden lies on Fred VanVleet's shoulders. With the Rockets' offense being middle-of-the-road last season, VanVleet will need to play his part in taking them to the next level. This includes maintaining his play from last year while also polishing his shot selection, particularly in the clutch. These first few games have been eerily reminiscent of the problems of last season, but there have also been many signs of growth.

The Highs of the Rockets' Start

Jalen Green's play has particularly been promising as he is averaging 28.8 ppg through the first 4 games. His numbers, however, don't do justice to just how well he has been playing. Green has looked much more comfortable handling the ball and has been looking to drive instead of staying confined to the perimeter. Along with this, he has been very assertive on the defensive end, giving his opponents minimal space to operate.

Green has also played a crucial role in revitalizing the Rockets' offense in rough stretches. His 12 point second quarter against the Grizzlies allowed the Rockets to get back into the game and eventually win. He also helped launch a run to allow the Rockets to comeback against the Spurs even if they weren't able to pull out the win.

The game against the Grizzlies in general demonstrated notable growth from last season. Due to Ja Morant's return and their recent acquisitions, there have been high expectations for the Grizzlies going into the season. Their specific game plan of stopping Sengun coupled with Ja's relentless paint attack helped them jump out to a lead. The Rockets being able to eventually overcome this lead and beat a team of the Grizzlies caliber may be a sign of what's to come.

The collective success of the Rockets' young talent in this game was also promising as Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr, and Cam Whitmore all finished in double digit scoring.

Hopefully, as the season progresses, we'll continue to see the Rockets play as they did against the Grizzlies and not as they did against the Hornets and Spurs. For the Rockets to even have a chance in this competitive west, they will have to capitalize on such matchups and be much better offensively. The steady development of players like Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun will be vital when gauging if the team is truly playoff ready.