Against NBA's Elite, Rockets Viewing Turbulent Start As Learning Experience

While facing a handful of the NBA's best teams, the Houston Rockets are viewing their 1-8 start to the season as a learning experience for the future.

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets entered the 2022-23 season with the ambition of becoming the NBA's most surprising team. But nine games into the season, the Rockets are struggling while starting the year with a 1-8 record.

Following a 109-101 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night, the Rockets are about to embark on another four-game road trip. But Houston refuses to give up on their pre-season ambitions.

"It’s experience,” Jalen Green said. "We are going up against the best teams in our first couple of games with a lot of rookies and second-year players. We are still young and still growing. It is all experience."

While playing six of their first nine games on the road, the Portland Trail Blazers were the only team the Rockets faced that did not qualify for the post-season last year.

For a team that finished the 2021-22 campaign with the league's worst record of 20-62, stumbling out of the gate was inevitable for Houston when starting the season against teams on the trajectory to compete for the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June.

The Rockets have found a silver lining in how competitive the team has been through their first nine games, despite focusing on the losses.

Coach Stephen Silas found encouragement in the Memphis Grizzlies celebrating amid their seven-point victory as if they had won a playoff game over the Rockets. And it took a game-winning 15-foot jumper from Paul George to hold off the Rockets Monday night inside the Crypto.com Arena. 

"We started with the toughest schedule, and we will end with the toughest," Kevin Porter Jr. said. "But there will be a sweet spot somewhere in this. Starting against the heavy hitters, we are going to learn a lot faster. 

"There are a lot of teams that we had early we can learn from, and we still believe that we can beat them."

The Rockets will face-off against another playoff caliber team on Saturday against the 4-4 Minnesota Timberwolves. Tip-off is slated for 7 PM CT inside the Target Center.

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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