Rockets Lead NBA in One Interesting Stat
The Houston Rockets haven't led the league in much over the past few years, but now that they have turned a corner, they are on top in one unique stat: continuity.
According to ESPN writer Neil Paine, the Rockets are leading the league in returning playing time and production.
"Though the Rockets failed to make the playoffs last season, it was a season of growth for Houston, which improved its net rating by 9.0 points per 100 possessions from 2022-23. After years of losing with one of the youngest teams in the NBA (mean age 25.9), the Rockets also provided a potential blueprint for how teams should emerge from a tanking era, with a mix of savvy veterans (VanVleet) and young players coming into their own (Green, Sengun, Thompson)," Paine writes. "Houston will look to continue this upward trend this season, as the Rockets bring back each of their top 12 WAR earners -- a group that represents 76% of the franchise's three-year weighted minutes played and a whopping 94% of its three-year weighted WAR."
The Rockets have pretty much the same team from a year ago, with the exception of No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard and AJ Griffin, who they acquired from the Atlanta Hawks for their second-round selection in this year's draft.
With the core returning, Houston should have some of the best chemistry in the league, and that could be what gets the team over the hump in the upcoming season.
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