When star center Alperen Sengun came crashing to the floor in a March 10 win against the Sacramento Kings, the Rockets’ play-in hopes seemed all but over. Despite the win, the Rockets sat at just 29-35 and had lost their best player for what appeared to be the rest of the season.
But since then, Houston has ripped off three more wins, pushing their record to 32-35. They’ve now won five games in a row and seven of their last eight. They’re rolling, sitting in 11th in the West, and closing in on the Los Angeles Lakers, losers of their last two games. They have a serious chance to get back to .500 and make things interesting down the stretch as the soft part of the team’s schedule continues. On Tuesday, the Rockets will visit the 11-56 Washington Wizards. Then on Thursday, they will come home to host the 33-35 Chicago Bulls. And on Saturday, they will host the 29-38 Utah Jazz.
Before this run, the question was whether Rockets brass should seriously consider resting key veterans down the stretch. Houston owes its draft pick in the 2024 NBA draft to the Oklahoma City Thunder as a result of the 2020 Chris Paul trade for Russell Westbrook but the conveyance is top four protected. The question was whether the Rockets should seek to better their odds at keeping the pick. As things stand, after their five game winning streak, the Rockets’ pick has just a 9.4% chance at landing in the top four.
The Rockets have slid starting power forward Jabari Smith Jr. over to center and inserted rookie point guard Amen Thompson at wing into the starting power forward, in replacing the injured Sengun. The changes have created a switch-everything defensive presence that wasn’t possible with Sengun. And offensively, third-year guard Jalen Green, who had struggled for most of the season, has picked up the slack, turning it on for his best stretch of the year. Since March 2, Green has averaged 24.6 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, shooting 49% from the floor and 37.3% from 3 on 8.4 attempts per game. Green is eligible for a contract extension this summer.
Whatever happens the rest of the way, this season, year 1 of Phase 2 of Houston’s rebuild, and the first of Udoka’s tenure as head coach, appears to be a success. After starting the season at 15-12, and enduring rough patches, the Rockets appear poised to finish within 40 wins. That’s a rather remarkable achievement, especially with the injuries the team has faced.
