The 2023-24 season for the Houston Rockets was surprising, frustrating and, ultimately, a season of progress. With a new coach and new additions to the line up, some bumps in the road were to be expected, but to finish the year at .500, a 19-game improvement, coming off three of the worst years in franchise history was worth celebrating.
Now that the Rockets will have to watch the postseason like the other teams that didn’t make the NBA postseason, it’s a good time to look back and give some grades to this young, talented team.
Part 1: The Starters
Part 2: The Rookies
The bench, at times, was a strength for Ime Udoka’s Rockets squad and it had to be as they dealt with a variety of injuries throughout the season. It was an interesting mix of the rookies we discussed previously and some experienced veteran talent, all guys who seemed to know their role and take advantage.
Aaron Holiday
Grade: B
Even as Amen Thompson began to assume the role of backup point guard, Holiday understood his role and provided a solid veteran presence off the bench. He was the team’s most reliable three point shooter hitting them at a 38 percent clip in just 16 minutes of action per night. Defensively, he was better than advertised, particularly against smaller guards.
Jock Londale
Grade: C
The Aussie center started the season in the wrong way with an injury. As such, he wasn’t part of the rotation for much of the first half of the year and struggled to integrate himself when he began to get minutes. But, once he did figure it out, he was fantastic in the second half. In the last 15 games of the season, he averaged 10 points and a block per game while shooting almost 60 percent from the field and 33 percent from three. It was a big turn around for the big guy.
Jeff Green
Grade: B+
Uncle Jeff, as he was affectionately called, brought a calm, stabilizing presence off the bench and some occasional offensive firepower. In what was the smallest role of his career, Green did the job of the undersized big man and helped to do what was asked of him. Honestly, he would have been an even better compliment had he shot better than 33 percent from three, but just having someone on the team with his experience was a boost.
Reggie Bullock
Grade: B-
Bullock was a last minute signing before the season and he managed to stick thanks mostly to his three-and-D capabilities. He didn’t get a ton of minutes but was a reliable shooter hitting 40 percent from deep, and a quality defender with the second unit.
Jae’Sean Tate
Grade: C-
We almost feel bad even grading Tate on his season given how he has gone from starter in previous years to barely seeing time on the floor. While the veteran has been a very solid presence since signing with the Rockets in 2020 after a few professional years in Australia, his inability to improve his three-point shooting and redundancy of skills with other players left him on the outside looking in. When he did play, he continued to be the spark plug we have come to expect from Tate.
Tari Eason
Grade: INC
After having a surprising rookie season, there were many who felt this could be a breakout season for Eason. His length, defensive skills and ability to hit the three made him an ideal three-and-D candidate. Unfortunately, he was sidelined by a leg injury for nearly the entire season. His biggest highlight was trolling the Warriors late in the season.
Boban Marjanovic
Grade: A+++
He didn’t play much, but the fact that he got free chicken for LA Clippers fans on the last day of the season by missing a pair of free throws on purpose is all that is needed to garner this grade.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
