Houston Rockets: Developmental Route Could be Best Path Forward

Leaning into the development of Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore could be the best path forwards for Houston this season.

Entering the 2023-24 NBA season, the Houston Rockets roster felt a bit disjointed.

They retained current load-carriers in Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green in the offseason, signed win-now veterans in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks to big money and — perhaps most importantly — took big shots on high-ceiling players in Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore at the 2023 NBA Draft.

They also have a flurry of other talent in former No. 3 pick Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and more. And on top of that they added the highly-lauded but then-controversial head coach in Ime Udoka, who’s been known to favor winning to losing (go figure).

All this and more has led to a concoction of a team that’s amassed a 25-31 record on the season, and seems to be having a bit of an identity crisis.

Sengun has skied to near-All-Star level, and VanVleet and Brooks have been able to make the team better. But as a whole, Houston still feels far from their goals.

The emergence of Thompson and Whitmore, though, might be their saving grace. At least for this season.

In his last nine games, Thompson has poured on 13.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, .36 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks, shooting a blistering 60% overall. In that stretch, he’s started just five games, and was relegated back to the bench in the last two.

Whitmore has been similarly strong recently, maybe even more so: 17.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in his last 10 tries. In that span, he’s come off the bench in every game.

It would be no easy decision, but with the Rockets seemingly falling out of the Play-In picture, top brass could choose to lean into the development of those two alongside other players it considers part of the immediate future.

The especially difficult part would be sending longtime starters to the bench. But with its two rookies trending up, now may be the time to get a head start.

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