Rockets have obvious need in becoming title contender

The Houston Rockets scored 89 points in a win-or-go-home Game 7 against the Warriors. If you're new to the NBA, 89 is not enough points to win a typical NBA game.

This shouldn't shock anybody. The Rockets have struggled with their half-court offense all season. The Warriors have a stout defense. Why would this series be any different?

It's not hard to diagnose the issue. The Rockets are brimming with young talent, but they're sorely lacking a go-to scorer.

The guy who was supposed to fill that role didn't show up to work.

Rockets can't rely on Jalen Green

This isn't a Green hit piece. I already wrote that one. Piling on the kid after a disaster of a series wouldn't be right.

Still, it's a salient enough point to repeat. Green stunk in this series. Putting it politely would be doing a disservice to reality. He was quite bad.

He averaged 13.3 points per game while shooting 37.2% from the field and 29.5% from deep. Green was supposed to be the Rockets' go-to scorer, but he wasn't someone they were comfortable going to.

Alperen Sengun fared better, but his efficiency was lacking as well. Realistically, he's not equipped to be the leading scorer on a serious title contender. Instead, Sengun should function as a hub. If he was paired with a premiere perimeter scorer, it's likely that his points per game would dip slightly while his assists per game skyrocketed.

The Rockets need to get that go-to scorer as soon as possible.

Rockets must scour trade market for scorer

I resisted writing "the Rockets need to replace Jalen Green" pieces throughout this entire series. I wanted to see what happened. If the Rockets had beaten the Warriors in Game 7, who's to say Green wouldn't explode against the Timberwolves and change the entire narrative?

Well, that didn't happen. The Rockets lost. Green gave them one 38-point explosion and 6 abject duds. Now, I'm ready to say it:

The Rockets need to replace Jalen Green.

It doesn't have to be an off-guard. The Rockets could acquire a scoring wing and slot a pure shooter into Green's spot. The point is that they need a reliable perimeter shotmaker down the stretch when the 2025-26 playoffs come around.

It could be Kevin Durant. It could be Devin Booker. Alternatively, it could be someone who's not in the rumor mill yet (or on the Suns). Whoeever it is, the Rockets must acquire a go-to scorer this summer.

They can't afford 89-point performances in next year's playoffs.