After a week off for the 2023 All-Star break, the Houston Rockets begin the finishing stretch of the 2022-23 NBA season with uncertainty and questions that have no definitive answers.
Their 13-45 record is the worst in the NBA, as is Houston’s offensive rating (110.0). Their defensive rating (118.4) ranks 28th among the league’s 30 teams, and their net rating (-8.4) is No. 29.
If the Rockets finish with the NBA’s worst record, it will be their third straight season doing so. They own their first-round draft pick in 2023, though the league’s recently flattened lottery odds mean that acquiring perceived generational talent Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson is unlikely.
As for the current group and its development, it’s worth noting the roster isn’t healthy. Kevin Porter Jr. has missed more than a month with a left foot injury. Backcourt mate Jalen Green strained his left groin in the final game before the All-Star break.
Here are three concerns the Rockets have as they resume play.
What is the status of the starting backcourt?
Point guard Kevin Porter Jr. missed 17 games before the All-Star break due to a left foot injury that caused him to wear a walking boot at one point. Although he has recently increased his workouts in preparation for a return, Houston’s coaching staff understands he isn’t likely to be the same effective point guard that averaged 19.2 points, 5.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds before the injury.
Many believe the return of Porter to the backcourt would be a wonderful thing: He would resume the ball-handling duties and help Houston get back on track. But as he is coming off the injured reserve list, his teammate, Jalen Green, may be headed there.
Green suffered a left groin strain during Houston’s final game before the All-Star break in Oklahoma City as he was trying to defend Josh Giddey. He was immediately taken to the locker room for medical attention and did not return. An MRI confirmed Green’s injury as a mild strain.
This is the second time in less than a month that Green has spent time off the court due to injury. Earlier, the second-year shooting guard suffered a contusion in his right calf that caused him to miss three games for the Rockets.
Will Jabari Smith Jr. get over the rookie wall?
The first year is always challenging for rookies in the NBA. They must learn how to adjust their games on so many levels while playing against some of the same impressive veterans they watched on television for years.
In Houston, Jabari Smith Jr. must learn to overcome adversity and learn from the growing pains of the first half of the season.
Smith, 19, was selected with the No. 3 pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft. The 6-foot-11 forward immediately had high expectations heaped upon him to perform on a team that consisted of players that were not yet legally able to buy alcohol.
He’s averaging 12 points and 7 rebounds per game, which could be better when evaluating a top-five NBA selection.
The one thing that stood out to the Rockets when they evaluated Smith coming out of Auburn was his ability to spread the court with his shooting, especially from 3-point range. His 30.3% average is far different from what the Rockets expected. He finished January hitting only 17% of his shots from beyond the arc.
It has not been all doom and gloom for Smith this season. He has shown flashes of his potential. In a Jan. 13 loss to the Sacramento Kings, he scored a career-high 27 points to go with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. He has increased his scoring every month, and he has scored double figures in six of the last eight contests.
If he can succeed like Green did in the second half of his rookie year, the Rockets will have taken a successful step in their rebuild.
Will Stephen Silas be the scapegoat?
Head coach Stephen Silas has taken a lot of criticism this season because of his team’s lack of development and its 13-45 record. The team has had six multiple-game losing streaks, including the current seven-game skid. The team has no identity on either end of the floor, and the chemistry among the players seems off.
It is hard to expect the young Rockets to be successful when the only veteran that gets consistent playing time is Jae’Sean Tate, who is also the oldest player in Houston’s starting lineup after Eric Gordon was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Once Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green return, the Rockets will not have a single starter over the age of 22.
Silas oversees making the team successful, but how can that be done when he has no veteran leadership to turn to on his roster? General manager Rafael Stone’s job is to provide his head coach with the necessary pieces to improve the team, but with the current rebuild, that has not happened in the three years Silas has been in Houston.
Every tactic Silas has tried this season to get through to his young core of players has only been a temporary fix. He scolded them earlier this season about their lethargic effort on the court, which got through to them for about two games before they fell right back into their old habits. His softer approach had a similar short-term effect.
With this being the final fully guaranteed year of Silas’ contract, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta may have seen enough and could want a new head coach to continue this rebuilding plan.
