Life is great if you are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. They are fresh off a season where they won 52 games, finished with the second-best record in the highly competitive Western Conference, and pushed Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors to seven games. They also had the tenth youngest roster (in terms of average age, weighted by minutes) in the entire NBA.
The future is bright in Houston. At least, that is what it feels like right now. Remember, we also said the same thing about the Sacramento Kings at the end of the 2022-23 season when they won 48 games, finished third in the West, and, you guessed it, took the Warriors to seven games in their first round series.
The Rockets sound eerily similar to a Kings team who now, two years later, finds themselves in a major rut. So, how do they avoid following in their footsteps?
How the Rockets can learn from the Kings
After their breakthrough season, the Kings decided to bank on continuity in 2023-24. This approach led to a solid 46-36 season where they narrowly missed a second straight postseason berth (they probably would have made it had they been in the Eastern Conference).
Then, this past summer, the Kings decided to partake in their version of an "all-in" move by executing a three-team sign-and-trade to bring six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan to town. In theory, this seemed like a good call. The Kings got a perennial star, and all they had to do was give up their least productive starter and some draft capital.
Unfortunately, the Kings made a major miscalculation. DeRozan, while an excellent scorer, was a redundant fit next to their other key offensive players (De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, and Domantas Sabonis). And since he doesn't space the floor or defend at a high level, he didn't do anything to make up for their weaknesses. This created a serious roster imbalance.
For the Rockets, they need to be careful not to bring on the first big name that becomes available to them. They need to make sure that the player is someone who addresses their weaknesses (on-ball creation and spacing) while also not taking away too much of what makes them a very good team right now (their size, athleticism, and defense).
They also need to be patient. Maybe there isn't a big move to be made this offseason. If that's the case, just try to pick up some low-risk, high-reward pieces on the margins and see how much your young guys (like Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, and Alperen Sengun) can grow with another offseason under their belts.
The beautiful thing about studying history is that it allows us to learn and grow from our predecessors. The Rockets need to study what the Kings did and be sure to steer clear of that path.