2021-22
Coming off a tumultuous season in which the Rockets attempted a typical rebuild, then completely changed course and traded the farm for Dante Exum, then traded Exum because he got hurt every third game, the Rockets didn't come into this season with a ton of expectations.
Coming into the season with a core of rookie Malik Monk, star big Karl-Anthony Towns, and talented prospects Dragan Bender, Tyus Jones, Kevon Looney, Davis Bertans, and Justin Patton, the Rockets found success with a mid-tempo offense and heavy zone usage to combat its defensive woes.
Good health and a midseason 15-game win streak propelled them to 50 wins and the 6th seed in the West, but they were promptly eliminated by a veteran-laden Mavs team in the first round. A good start for a team of players barely old enough to legally buy alcohol, but hoping for more.
2022-23
That offseason, the Rockets went into the summer with a lot of cap space, but most of that went into re-signing Jones and Looney. Minor signings such as veterans and trades for Briante Weber and Delon Wright bolstered the team, but the young core stayed largely the same in the offseason.
The lone shakeup came during the season, when the Rockets committed to winning now, trading Jones, Weber, and others for the veteran Kemba Walker. Initial struggles with team chemistry sent the team into a frenzy, wondering if they completely blew their title chances. But they found their way eventually, embarking on an impressive streak that saw them win 29 times in 34 games.
This was stopped dead in its tracks in mid March with two-month injuries to Walker and Towns after locking up a playoff berth, joining Justin Patton and Mirza Teletovic on the list of players done for the season due to injury. Jeremy Lin would join them in the playoffs.
Though depleted, the Rockets would still have their moments in the playoffs. The 20-year-old Monk would carry the Rockets past the Blazers in 7 in the 4/5 matchup in a breakout series. The Rockets made it a series against the Thunder in the second round, but the lack of weapons was just too much to overcome, losing in 6 to the defending champs.
2023-24
This season was headlined by the signing of Rockets legend James Harden, the draft pick of Michael Porter (eventually dealt for Justise Winslow), and the acquisition of Marquese Chriss. The Rockets lost a ton of depth, and multiple future picks in an attempt to go all in on the final years of Walker and Harden's primes.
The regular season was the best since the Harden/Faried/Iggy days, 55 wins and the 3 seed locked up with relative ease, and no injuries to carry into the playoffs. With a tempo cranked up to the max, this was a fun team to manage. This playoff run was a pretty epic ride.
We found ourselves in a 1-3 hole to Denver in round 1, a team that had our number all season, but pulled through due to two of the most ridiculous scoring games in CSL Playoff history in games 5 and 6 (143 and 157 points). The winner of each of these games scored at least 125. Then in a relative slugfest, we took care of business vs Sacramento in 6, despite a very limited Towns for most of the series.
Then came the ultimate test- the eventual champion Phoenix Suns, whose defense locked down tight. We fell into a 1-3 hole again and would've been swept if Doral Moore hadn't made his only 3 ever in a 1-point win. However we would force a game 7 after completely revamping our game plan on the fly. We would hold Phoenix to just 80 points in game 7, but could only muster 74 ourselves in a heartbreaker.
2024-25
This offseason was a very quiet one for Houston- no picks, no cap, only one trade affecting the bench (Okobo for Mika). We just re-signed our guys and went into the new season with a new engine. The whole situation was a catastrophe. We had major issues on offense finding the right game plan, then lost Harden to a torn Achilles, Kemba for a couple months, and dealt about half the roster to completely retool the supporting cast around Monk, Towns, Bender, and Winslow.
Trades brought in a number of defenders to plug into a switching defense in Oladipo, Shane Larkin, Antetokounmpo, Boucher, and Dotson. Monk would be the only below average defensive player to consistently get minutes on the team going forward. He was largely carrying the offense, averaging 24ppg.
As the season went along, we figured out our defense, holding opposing teams below 80 points a whopping 13 times after the trade deadline. The offense wasn't in peak condition, playing downtempo as much as possible, but it worked in the regular season. The team was 20-6 from the trade deadline to the time where they benched everyone in the final games before the playoffs.
Going up 3-1 despite Towns missing 3 of those games, Houston stuck with the game plan that got them there, but just could not seal the deal. The Spurs scored 123 in Game 5, by far the highest total by an opponent since the trades, and would win the next two games by 4 and 7 points.
Where do the Rockets go from here?
The plan is to run it back with as much of this team as possible. Malik Monk will be maxed on Day 1 of free agency. The Rockets will attempt to retain Kemba Walker, who will be 35 years old, but depth is going to be an issue next season due to the hard cap.
There's a lot to improve on offensively- the Rockets were not consistent offensively this year at all. Part of that stems from Monk himself, who was exceptionally hot and cold, and went cold at the worst possible time (30.7% from three in the Spurs series, bookended by 1-13 and 2-15 performances in Games 1 and 7). But the Rockets could use a more consistent shooter in the backcourt. Maybe that will be Okobo next season, or someone not currently on the team.
They have to find a middle ground for Dragan Bender, somewhere between the high usage of the first half of the season, and the disappearing act he pulled after the deadline and several instructions. This may include changing the whole offensive game plan, as Bender's touches fell off a cliff upon going downtempo midseason. He should definitely be more involved, as he shot nearly 50% and 43% from three on the season.
All signs point to the Monk/Towns duo sticking around for a while longer, but the pieces around them could definitely change after three years of coming up short of expectations.
2020, 2023, 2027
