Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green, Chris Paul Praise Young Houston Rockets

“A ton of potential,” Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said via The Athletic about the Houston Rockets.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 30, 2023

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Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are picking up the pieces after losing 106-95 against the Golden State Warriors in their home opener on Sunday.

The loss dropped the Rockets to 0-3 and are just another defeat away from their worst start since the 2010-11 season. However, with the team's veteran additions and guidance from new coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets drew praise from their opponents after Sunday's game.

“A ton of potential,” Draymond Green said via The Athletic about the Rockets. “This team, we would have won this game before by 20 or 30 points because that team would have quit. But they’re under Ime (Udoka) now, that’s a different thing. You see how they battled. We pulled away down the stretch because a young team still has to learn how to win. But you see the growth already and under a coach like Ime, I expect nothing less.”

Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The same sentiments were echoed from former starting point guard Chris Paul, who saw his streak of over 1,600 consecutive games starting snapped against the Rockets.

"When you bring Ime in here, they’re going to be better," Paul said. "I’m sure now they got Fred [VanVleet] leading them, a proven vet who knows how to play, it can only help.”

The Rockets were marred by a lack of veteran presence in the last two years, and while the results haven't changed yet, there seems to be a different vibe and energy surrounding Houston this season ... and others are beginning to pick up on it.

Published Oct 30, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.