The Houston Rockets are a very solid 6-4 ten games into the young season. They have quality wins against New York and Dallas, as well as some disappointing losses to the Spurs and Hornets. They appear to be a little ahead of schedule for the season but still right about where the team likely expected to be this early.
Where they are still figuring it out is with their lineups on the floor. The return of a couple guys from injury along with the still learning process for others has created some interesting issues for Coach Ime Udoka. When you combine that with the real desire to restrict minutes for certain players this season, it can be a little awkward out there.
The good news is they still have a winning record even with the changes that have come quickly in the first ten games. Let’s check out the biggest surprises.
Reed Sheppard isn’t quite ready.
We were all fooling ourselves with the thought that, even as the third pick in a rather weak draft, a young point guard was going to come in and change the dynamic in the backcourt. Sheppard has shown flashes of why the Rockets love him, but shooting just 35 percent from three and still trying to figure out how to play in the NBA has kept him from assuming the mantel of backup point guard to the degree some might have wanted. He’ll improve and we’ll see more of him down the line, but he’s still figuring it out right now.
Tari Eason is ascending.
It could be argued that Eason has been their best and most consistent player. He’s averaging almost 12 points, 5 rebounds and nearly 2 steals while shooting 41 percent from three with an effective field goal percentage of .621. That’s really good. He seems to be everywhere on the floor, causing loads of disruption defensively, his steady rebounding and effective scoring has really forced the team to give him more minutes and take away from other (former) rotation players.
Fred VanVleet is still playing too many minutes.
At more than 35 minutes per game, VanVleet once again leads the team. It’s no surprise that the Rockets want him out there given the fact that he is once again at the top of the leaderboards in the NBA in both assist-to-turnover ratio and assist-to-steal ratio. He is their absolute leader on the floor, making it difficult for the team to take him out. That isn’t helped by Sheppard still trying to figure things out and the fact that Amen Thompson is better suited in different positions on the floor.
Cam Whitmore is out of the rotation for now.
This seemed like it could be a tough season for the second year guard. He is an explosive scorer and has tightened up his defense, but where do his minutes come from? The combination of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Thompson and Eason leaves little room for Whitmore, particularly given Eason and Brooks’ exceptional defensive skills. He will certainly get another chance whether it is because of injury or something else so he’ll need to stay ready. He came on strong last year when injuries struck. The same might happen again this season.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
