It goes without saying that the 2022-23 Houston Rockets are young, and they’re so very young that three of their starters are not legally allowed to consume alcohol in the United States. They rank as the second youngest team in the NBA (23.58 years old), right behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (23.14).
So, it is safe to say that when they compete against older, veteran-led teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, etc., that lack of NBA experience plays a significant factor in the outcomes of games.
Four additional years of experience may sound minimal. Still, in the grand scheme, it is a tremendous amount of time to get acclimated to all the intricacies and nuisances of being an NBA player, especially if you have been with the same team for that number of years.
Most players leading the Rockets have less than two years of playing time in the NBA. They are barely removed from their days of playing in high school gymnasiums in front of groups of raucous, screaming teenagers cheering on their fellow classmates.
Yet, it is the job of head coach Stephen Silas, who is old enough to be the father of the majority of his current roster, to continue building his players into a team that not only competes on a nightly basis but also adds some victories in the win column.
“We are a hard-playing team who has ups and downs and goes through our struggles,” Silas said when asked about the team’s identity after losing to Utah by 17 points on Thursday night. “We really care about winning, we really care about each other, and we are going to steadily improve as the season goes along. I am never going to be negative about my group.”
Houston’s struggles have stood out during their current six-game losing streak, as they have lost by an average margin of 17 points per game. The offense has lost any continuity it built from its 15-point road victory over the Chicago Bulls back in late December. On the other end, their defensive rotations have them consistently out of place, allowing for open shots from opposing teams.
With forward Jae’Sean Tate coming back into the rotation after missing 35 games with an ankle injury, the molding of the youthful group will take another hit with Silas scrounging for minutes to develop players like TyTy Washington and Tari Eason. With Eric Gordon still in the starting lineup, Tate will likely be the first player off the bench to replace him. In turn, that reduces the playing time of KJ Martin, who has increased his level of play this season.
“We are a hard-playing team who has ups and downs and goes through our struggles,” said Houston Rockets when I asked him about his team’s identity so far this season. #LightTheFuse #Sarge @TheRocketsWire pic.twitter.com/ZuO2H0Z6Rq
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) January 7, 2023
The Rockets currently have the worst record in the NBA at 10-29 and are on the same path they have been on for the last two years, which landed them two top-three picks in the draft lottery in the form of guard Jalen Green and forward Jabari Smith Jr. That outlook may not sit well with the fan base or ownership, which could be wondering when the rebuilding puzzle will be complete.
At some point over the next 43 games, this young team will have to grow and establish an identity and winning mentality if they expect to return to the days of competing in the postseason.
