Rockets front office has to prove themselves once again

For years, the Rockets have quietly been operating as one of the best front offices in the league. Their advantages have been most highlighted by successful negotiations on rookie extensions, but the front office will now be challenged in a new way as they seek to build out a championship contender. They'll have to take another step forward in their spending while still putting the right pieces together to complete the team.

The front office has their biggest challenge ahead

In previous years, the Rockets were a nice feel-good story just happy to win games and make the playoffs. All of that changed last year when they traded for Kevin Durant, even at the cost of some quality pieces. Acquiring such an old superstar would normally accelerate a team's timeline way ahead and force a championship-or-bust mentality.

But the Rockets avoided that for two main reasons. One, Durant continued to excel even at the age of 37. He was still an efficient scorer good for 26 points per game and the Rockets can probably pencil him in for similar production next season too.

Second, the Rockets suffered a couple of catastrophic season-ending injuries to key contributors in Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams. Without those two veterans, the Rockets lost some of their edge and didn't expect to compete for a title as intensely. The lowered expectations helped the team avoid the highest levels of pressure and even softened the blow when they eventually lost in the first round of the playoffs (with Durant also injured for most of the series).

But things will get more serious next year as Houston's young stars approach their rookie extensions and the veterans get another year older. The Rockets front office has been generally conservative over the offseason, perhaps believing in the foundation that won 52 games last season even with massive injuries. But those wins with a first-round exit won't be enough next season; the Rockets need to show signs of being a title contender.

The Rockets are already on their way to building

The offseason wasn't completely silent and the front office was active in swapping out some role players for better fits. Out went Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Okogie, in came Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic. The incoming players should be better fits as steadying offensive presences and shooters without giving up too much on defense.

Figuring out the last few spots on a contending roster are always tricky, but the Rockets have given it their best shot. They project to have a strong starting lineup with potential growth from younger players. But the differences in an intense playoff series can be small, even down to a surprise contribution from an 8th man or small wrinkle in coaching. And this is the season where the Rockets need to make sure all those boxes are checked.

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