This Rockets roster flaw could prove fatal next season

The Houston Rockets made a lot of huge additions this summer. Their failure to add ball-handling could be costly, but the organization doesn't see it that way.

Fair enough. NBA basketball is not a monolith. There's not "one way" to play the game.

The Rockets are leaning into their strengths. They've added size and length to underscore their rebounding and defensive dominance. They also took care to fix their biggest weakness by adding an elite shot maker in Kevin Durant.

They just weren't able to plug every hole - even if the team feels differently.

Rockets fail to add ball-handling

According to the Houston Chronicle (subscription needed), the Rockets feel that they have enough ball-handling as it is. They've invested in the trio of Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, and Reed Sheppard.

"The Rockets’ decision to sign another wing, a position at which they already possess considerable depth, rather than a guard, appears to signal confidence in the main ball-handling trio of Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, and Reed Sheppard supplemented by veteran combo guard Aaron Holiday"

-Danielle Lerner, The Houston Chronicle

This quote is in reference to the Rockets' signing of Josh Okogie. Let's break it down.

VanVleet is solid. That's the most accurate word to describe him. VanVleet is not one of the most offensively potent starting point guards in the NBA. That's OK - VanVleet's ball security and decision-making are valuable, but it's fair to say the Rockets could use a more dynamic option in the rotation.

Can Sheppard be that option? It remains to be seen. The soon-to-be-sophomore has ample potential, but he struggled as a rookie. He'd need to take a considerable leap forward to a primary backup on a serious title contender.

Thompson is the most intriguing option. He arguably has the highest ceiling on the Rockets, but he's primarily functioned as a wing so far. Without a jump shot, it'll require some finesse to transition Thompson into a frequent ball-handler.

Each of these 3 choices comes with drawbacks. Who knows? Sheppard could make that leap, or Thompson could improve his shot just enough to flourish. Still, it does feel like a hole heading into the season:

How could the Rockets have plugged it?

Rockets had a nearly perfect summer

Perhaps they couldn't.

It's not fair to point to the Okogie signing. He has a $3.1 million deal. Unless they'd gambled on the injury-prone De'Anthony Melton, the Rockets weren't adding a rotation ball-handler with that salary slot.

Was the Capela signing gratuitous? Arguably. The Rockets have 3 rotation-quality bigs. That said, Steven Adams is injury-prone, and the team wants to ensure that they can run dual big lineups at will.

It's hard to complain about the Dorian Finney-Smith signing. He's simply too good. The Rockets doubled down on their strengths with that signing, and now they've got one of the best wing rotations in the NBA.

If any of these slots could have gone to a ball-handler, it's Capela's. Ultimately, no NBA team has a perfect rotation. Still, there are legitimate concerns that a lack of ball-handling could cost the Rockets during what should be a deep playoff run.

Even despite the huge additions they've made.