The Houston Rockets Are Rebuilding the Right Way

Houston's moves have paid off, and should continue to this season.

Dec 27, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; (from L-to-R) Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28), Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) and Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) sit on the bench during the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The great challenge of rebuilding an NBA franchise is comparable to cleaning your room. First, you take away all of the things you don't need or want to have around, and then you start from scratch. After remodeling, you can take the direction of your room in any way you so choose.

The NBA rebuild typically begins with clearing out assets that don't fit the timeline of the organization. After clearing cap space, or allocating draft picks, a team can then take the rebuild in multiple directions.

The first and most obvious choice is to build your team through the draft. Losing for a few seasons could pay off with top draft picks, which the franchise would then develop into elite players or contributing pieces to what would hopefully be a playoff team.

The second choice is turning in what you have to get already established players. This works some of the time, but in the early 2020s, teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers have tried to win by cashing in on superteams, but have failed tremendously.

The Houston Rockets are rebuilding their team through what seems like the first choice, and it's gone more than smoothly for the organization thus far. After trading away their franchise superstar James Harden in 2021, the Rockets hit a hard reset on the organization, going through three straight losing seasons.

In that time, Houston drafted multiple players that have developed or are still developing into stars. Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and more highlight the young core. Believe it or not, Houston still has promising talent coming through the draft, as Reed Sheppard was drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft.

After a 22-60 2022-23 season, the Rockets saw vast improvement under new coach Ime Udoka, going 41-41 and nearly making the Play-In Tournament last season. Their 19-win improvement was the biggest season turnaround from any team last season.

Instead of cashing in on big names, the Rockets have played their cards right, acquiring multiple veterans that complement the young core instead. Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Steven Adams are not considered superstars, but are experienced veterans who have already added to Houston's improvement through one season.

Not only do the players and coaching staff deserve their flowers, but fans should applaud the front office for bringing in a great mix of talent. General manager Rafael Stone, who took over the position in 2020, rebuilt Houston within five seasons, as the Rockets look to make a legitimate push for the postseason in 2025.

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