The Ringer Cites Rockets as League's 'Most Fascinating Team'

All eyes will be on the Rockets this season.

Feb 23, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone smiles before the game against the Phoenix Suns at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets have come a long way over the last several years. And that's probably an understatement.

It wasn't that long ago when the Rockets were viewed as a threat to reach the Western Conference Finals just about every year. It feels like just yesterday when James Harden and Russell Westbrook were averaging over 60 points per night.

However, that was five years ago.

The franchise immediately saw some dark days after both Harden and Westbrook were traded. The Rockets were forced to strip everything down on the roster and rebuild organically.

But this can be a long-term thing if a team isn't able to draft efficiently and effectively. Or if teams get impatient and make rash decisions, sacrificing future draft capital for win-now players who won't move the needle enough to justfiy such moves.

The Rockets were able to wait it out and avoid the urges and temptations of trading for a grossly overpaid, disgruntled mid-tier player.

As a result, the team drafted Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, and recently Reed Sheppard.

And now the franchise finds themselves in an interesting situation, as they could choose many different directions.

The Ringer's Michael Pina selected the Rockets as the league's most fascinating team.

"This is a blessing and a curse. The pros include lineup versatility, various insurance policies, and an ability to inject fresh, capable legs on a back-to-back. The cons are positional overlap, ambiguous role definition, and stunted development. And right now, Houston has a whole bunch of good players who could really use more time to develop."

Pina continued, after noting the Rockets' roster depth.

"This may be the most impressive collection of young talent in the NBA. It’s also, remarkably, half the entireteam—an attractive stockpile of intriguing, high-upside talent that ranges from “good” to “potential All-Star?” and beyond. That’s a nice problem to have; nonetheless, it qualifies as a problem. Each one is still, in some sense, trying to prove himself in the NBA. They all want minutes. They all want the ball. Nearly all have reason to believe they can and should be Houston’s best player.

The Rockets have enough picks (four of their own unprotected first-rounders, four swaps, and a couple of unprotected firsts from the Phoenix Suns) and winning mid-career veterans on movable contracts to include in any blockbuster trade for a trajectory-altering superstar.

The Rockets can play out the season, open up a ton of cap space, and become a major player in free agency without surrendering any significant assets in a trade.

There's no telling what the Rockets will do long-term, but it's great to have so many different possibilities. Especially considering where the franchise was less than two years ago.

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