Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Houston Rockets 2021 Season Preview
The Houston Rockets seem to be in a rebuild for this season and going forward. Where will the Rockets be at the end of the season?
KEY ADDITIONS:
The Rockets won the John Wall- Russell Westbrook trade straight up. John Wall is more of a team player when it comes to playing the point. Yes, Westbrook has averaged a triple-double in the past, but his attitude is atrocious. A team with Russell Westbrook will never win.
Christian Wood is a young power forward, who could be the next star that Houston builds around. Wood was excellent in Detroit. He’s been in the league for five years and has been with five different teams. In the past two years, he has taken significant strides to get better.
Cousins is coming off of two injuries, a former all-star looking to regain some sort of form and make it back to the league. Cousins was a monster before those two injuries in back-to-back seasons derailed his career.
Key Losses:
Last year, the Rockets were a small ball team which worked out well for them until they got to the playoffs.
A key piece to last year’s team was the defense of Robert Covington, however, he is no longer with the rockets after he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Covington was able to play three different positions for the Rockets last year. Really, playing out of position at the Center position for most of the season. He averaged just about two steals and two blocks per game.
Will the Rockets miss Russell Westbrook? Sure, maybe a little bit. However, he’s too much of a ball hog to be pairing with James Harden because they do pretty much the exact same thing. John Wall will be a better fit alongside James Harden.
Austin Rivers took off in Houston. While not being coached by his dad, Rivers has become a better player. But, he will not be staying in Houston. He’s moving out east to the big apple.
The Rockets lost quite a few more players: Jeff Green, Tyson Chandler, Gerald Green, DeMarre Carroll, Michael Frazier, Luc Mbah a Moute, and Thabo Sefolosha.
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG- John Wall
SG- James Harden
SF- Danuel House Jr.
PF- Christian Wood
C- DeMarcus Cousins
The Rockets return to a regular starting lineup, with two true big men running the floor at the power forward and center positions. Not only does this starting lineup look good on paper, but the Rockets also have an underrated bench:
Eric Gordon
David Nwaba
P.J. Tucker
Kenyon Martin Jr.
Ben McLemore
Bruno Caboclo
Sterling Brown
Season Outlook
The only real problem with the Rockets lineup is they don’t any depth at the center position. They still have a small ball roster but with a little more height down low. The Houston Rocket will not make the playoffs this year, the west is just too stacked. Especially if they do trade James Harden.
Will the Rockets trade James Harden?
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