
In what was internally viewed as Phase 1 of Houston’s rebuild under former head coach Stephen Silas, top rookies Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. averaged more than 30 minutes per game in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 season — even when both clearly struggled.
Entering 2023-24, as the Rockets enter Phase 2 of the rebuild under new head coach Ime Udoka, it sounds as if the standard will be very different. (The addition of several veterans from Houston’s massive salary cap room entering free agency may also be a factor.)