Rockets must consider reuniting with former fan favorite this summer

The Houston Rockets have rostered their share of fan favorites over the years.

It seems like the organization has a penchant for acquiring hard-nosed, defensive-minded veterans. Dillon Brooks fills that role for the current roster. Before him, P.J. Tucker was willing to do whatever it took for the Rockets to win.

Before him, there was Patrick Beverley.

If you were rooting for the other team, you hated Beverley. If he were on your squad, you loved him. He's just "one of those guys". Now, it seems like Beverley is angling for an NBA comeback.

The Rockets should consider indulging him.

Rockets should take a look at a former fan favorite

Would Beverley crack the Rockets' rotation? That's an impossible question to answer. The closest we can come to exploring it is to compare Beverley's last NBA season to Holiday's 2024-25 season.

By that standard, the answer is no. Beverley shot a modest 33.7% between his tenures with the Bucks and the Sixers in 2023-24. Holiday knocked down 39.8% of his triples. That's part of why he had a solid Box Plus/Minus (BPM) of -0.2 compared to Beverley's poor -1.1 mark.

So, replacing Holiday with Beverley isn't likely to be a viable option. That's fine:

It wouldn't be the idea behind acquiring Beverley.

Rockets need to prioritize young guard

This has as much to do with Reed Sheppard as it does anyone else.

If the Rockets are going to keep him, they need to use him. Sheppard's limited role as a rookie was justified, but if he isn't Fred VanVleet's primary backup in 2025-26, the Rockets will be jeopardizing his development.

That could mean cutting Holiday loose. Ime Udoka shouldn't be faulted for a meritocratic rotation. If Holiday is more impactful than Sheppard, he's within his rights to use him.

The solution may be to take Holiday away from him.

Yet, having Sheppard as the only backup guard doesn't feel viable. There will be situations when opposing teams exploit his size on defense. The Rockets would do well to cut Holiday, promote Sheppard, and sign an acceptable third-string point guard.

That's where Beverley comes in. When the Rockets need point of attack defense, it's likely that the solid veteran can still provide it. He'll be a situational player, but he could be one of the more impactful third-string guards in the NBA.

There's also some value in bringing back a fan favorite. Beverley will put a few extra fans in the Toyota Center. It's a good story, and it makes sense from a basketball perspective.

Rest assured that the fans would love it.