Julian Phillips
Phillips is a 6’6” small forward who signed with the Rockets in the offseason after going to the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft. He spent two and a half seasons with the Bulls before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves at last year’s deadline. He then joineed the Rockets as a free agent this past summer. In case you’re noticing a trend, Phillips is the type of defense-first forward that Ime Udoka loves, as he has the length an athleticism to be NBA-ready on defense.
However, the 22-year-old struggles offensively, shooting just 43.5 percent from the field for his career and 32 percent from deep. He also struggles creating offensively, but if the Rockets need another long, lanky wing defender to throw at teams, Phillips is your guy. He only averages 3.6 points in 11 minutes per night over his career, but we all know it’s your defense that could get you on the floor for Udoka.
Isaiah Crawford
Crawford is another 6’6” small forward, but this one played for the team last year after first spending his rookie year with the Sacramento Kings. He originally went undrafted in 2024 after earning Conference USA Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for Louisiana Tech. Crawford is another Udoka defensive specialist, and though he hasn’t gotten much run with the big boys, he had a pretty good line in Rio Grande Valley last year, going for 18.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.2 steals per game on 53.4 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from deep. Crawford is 24, so I’m not sure how much ceiling he has left, but the Rockets have a baller in tow in case they need to break glass in case of emergency. I don’t expect much run this year barring injury, but Crawford is another guy that’s a good fit for what Udoka wants to do.
