In many ways, the Houston Rockets were screwed in 2020. They had just been eliminated in the second round of the playoffs and didn’t have any way to bolster their roster, after going all-in on trades that brought in Russell Westbrook and Robert Covington, in exchange for Chris Paul and Clint Capela (and a good amount of draft capital).
Mike D’Antoni and Daryl Morey were out, while Stephen Silas and Rafael Stone were in. Westbrook, Harden, PJ Tucker, and Ben McLemore were also all moved, as the Rockets went into a full-scale rebuild.
Which wasn’t pretty, as rebuilds never are.
The Rockets won just 59 of 236 games in three seasons, landing top-four draft selections in each of the three seasons. The Rockets selected Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson with each of those picks, and were also able to nab Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, and Cam Whitmore with later picks in the first-round.
In 2023, the franchise added coach Ime Udoka, along with Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, a champion and a formidable defender.
Fast forward to now and the Rockets’ rebuild appears to have been a successful one, as the franchise had a 19-win increase year over year, which doesn’t happen often. The Rockets added yet another top-three draft pick, by way of the Brooklyn Nets, and selected Reed Sheppard, the best long-range shooter in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The Rockets’ overhaul drew praise from Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey, who took to Twitter (or X, as it’s coined these days) to praise the Rockets’ leadership for the drastic turnaround.
“Rockets deserve a ton of credit for how quickly and effectively they rebuilt.”
The franchise has positioned themselves well for a superstar trade down the road, should one of them become available. But even if they aren’t able to bring in a formidable superstar, they’ve effectively had a successful rebuild.