Who's surprising fans on the Houston Rockets this season?

The Houston Rockets are looking to take the NBA by surprise in 2024-25.

Nobody knows what to make of this squad. Sure, they're talented. Do they have "the guy"? Do they have enough experience to get to the postseason? Is the offense potent enough?

So far, the answers are, in order, maybe, maybe, and yes. Still, the efficacy of this team's simplistic offense will be tested as the season progresses. Still, at 5-3, the Rockets have been an undeniably pleasant surprise.

Here are the players who are surprising fans the most.

1. Tari Eason

Some will argue that astute Rockets fans shouldn't be surprised by Eason's standout season. To be sure, his ability to impact a game of basketball has been evident since his rookie year.

Sure - but nobody expected him to be third in the NBA in Box Plus/Minus (BPM). Yet, there stands Eason at 8.9. According to one of the most respected metrics used to analyze player impact, Eason is among the most impactful players in the league.

To the eye, it's clear that Eason is improving. His offense is starting to look increasingly polished. Eason is scoring from all three levels, and suddenly, nobody knows how high his ceiling might be. For a long time, fans have regarded him as having the potential to become one of the NBA's best role players:

Now, it looks like he could be more.

2. Jalen Green

Some Rockets fans won't be surprised by Green's impact. They've been waiting with baited breath for him to turn the corner. Now, they can breathe a sigh of relief.

It hasn't been perfect. Green is shooting just 39.7% from the field. Yet, even that's acceptable in light of his three-point volume. Green is launching 9.5 threes per game, and connecting on 38.2% of them. In the aggregate, that's good for a solid 54% True Shooting % (TS%)

More importantly, Green has a positive BPM (1.9) for the first time in his career. That's not approaching the league's leaders, but volume scorers tend to suffer in advanced stats. The closest player to Green stylistically atop the leaderboard is Jordan Poole (5.5). Given his past struggles, that certainly bodes well for Green's development.

The jury is still out on Green, but it's leaning in a certain direction. The 2024-25 season has certainly been his best to date, and that will come as a surprise to some.

3. Fred VanVleet

Not all surprises are pleasant.

VanVleet has been turning a corner in his last couple of outings. That's great, but the net impact of his play so far remains negative.

VanVleet's 51.0 TS% is not ideal, and that's baking in his last two hyperefficient performances. He seems to be abandoning his three-point heavy attack in favor of the midrange. Will that benefit the Rockets' offense going forward?

VanVleet is a veteran. He's a former NBA champion and a consummate professional. There's every season to believe he'll continue down the path he's been on lately. Still, it would be fair to say that his season has been surprisingly pedestrian so far.

4. Cam Whitmore

There's no reason to dig deep into stats when looking at Whitmore's season. One number sums the whole thing up. Whitmore is seeing just 10.6 minutes per game.

What gives? You'd have to ask Ime Udoka. Still, it's easy to speculate. Whitmore still doesn't play within a team concept. His effort levels are inconsistent. The Rockets are a win-now team, and Whitmore isn't playing winning basketball.

That's not entirely fair. Whitmore would be given more room to grow in a different situation. He's stuck behind a lot of talented young players.

Still, his lack of playing time has been disappointing. For some Rockets fans, it's been a dreadful surprise. All Whitmore can do is wait to see if he finds an opportunity.

We'll see if the Rockets can shock the world in the meantime.