The Houston Rockets are maneuvering through their offseason trying to get better with smaller details compared to last year’s big, splashy trade for Kevin Durant.
The team has made moves that haven’t shaken the league, but they have given the Rockets a chance to improve. CBS Sports contributor Sam Quinn graded the team’s offseason and gave the Rockets a “C-plus” for their efforts.
“I’m a bit concerned with how much stock they’re putting into the returns of Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet to solve last
year’s problems. These are both injury-prone veterans in their 30s. There are still long-term questions to answer, but most of what the Rockets just did makes sense,“ Quinn wrote.
The only teams that ranked higher than the Rockets were the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers.
The Rockets brought back Tari Eason on a five-year deal to secure him as part of the core moving forward. That was arguably the team’s biggest to-do item of the offseason and they managed to accomplish that.
The biggest addition the team made was signing Marcus Smart to a two-year deal. His experience with Ime Udoka could come in handy, but it isn’t a move that is guaranteed to make the Rockets better. Udoka will have to manage his backcourt differently this season with Smart and Fred VanVleet back in the fold. If he can find the right rhythm, it could unlock a new level for the Rockets, but it could also set them back if things falter.
TDS community, what do you think of the Rockets’ offseason so far? Do you agree with the grade on the report card? Let us know in the comments section below.
