Rockets Must Prioritize Development vs. Winning

The Houston Rockets can't keep their eye off the prize even with temptation in the building.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 14, 2023

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Houston Rockets

They waited arguably too long to trade James Harden after his request in 2020, which led to a three-year rebuild.

But the Rockets are attempting to accelerate the rebuild by signing Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks to major contracts, even if it roadblocks rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore from having a chance to crack the starting lineup.

"Spending big on Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks essentially guarantees both major roles, but Houston can't forget what's truly important here," Bleacher Report writes. "Making sure the young stars on this roster, players like Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün, continue to develop needs to be priority No. 1. Amen Thompson, Kevin Porter Jr., Cam Whitmore and Tari Eason all need rotation roles as well."

The Rockets are trying to have their cake and eat it too. In theory, it could work having veterans lead the team while also embracing their youth movement.

VanVleet and Brooks help the Rockets get out of the gutter, and possibly into the playoffs if all goes well. However, the youth movement on the team will be the core players on the next great Rockets team, and their development should remain the paramount focus for Houston going into the season.

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Published Aug 14, 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.