Rockets’ missed opportunities expose troubling offseason plan

The Houston Rockets have had a discouraging start to the offseason. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been traded to the Miami Heat, LaMelo Ball has been traded to the conference-rival Minnesota Timberwolves, and the first round of the NBA Draft came and went without Houston selecting a player. Those are three missed opportunities for this Rockets team.

Houston has already missed out on multiple opportunities

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a great player and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he is also aging and has consistently been injured at the end of the season in recent years. Houston missing out on Giannis is understandable.

LaMelo Ball has issues of his own, but he is 24 years old and fits exactly what this Houston team needs: shooting and offensive creation. The Rockets were not even mentioned as a team trying to pursue Ball. That is confusing.

Houston’s lack of interest in LaMelo Ball would have been much more understandable if they had drafted one of the 13 guards who went in the first round... but that did not happen either.

Houston traded up in the second round to select Bruce Thornton at No. 31 overall. His strengths project to be exactly what Houston needs, but he was still the 14th guard drafted. Instead of making a marginal trade-up in the second round, the Rockets should have made a more aggressive move for a better overall prospect.

The front office is failing to act with the necessary urgency

With all of Houston’s future draft capital and young players, why not cash those assets in to chase a championship with a core of Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson? Instead, this front office is sending a clear message: it wants to see what a healthy version of this core is able to accomplish.

That approach is admirable, but what does it really accomplish? We know the weaknesses of this core. Houston needs more shooting and offensive creation. A healthy Fred VanVleet will help address those weaknesses, but relying solely on a 32-year-old guard coming off a major injury is a dicey proposition.

The offseason is only just beginning, but Houston needs to start acting with more urgency. The Rockets need multiple shooters and players capable of initiating efficient offense. Time will tell if Rafael Stone and the front office are willing to become more aggressive.

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