DENVER, COLORADO – NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets seems to be on at his crew … [+]
After an extended offseason, the Rockets are again in motion this week, beginning Monday evening after they go to the Utah Jazz in Utah in a matchup between two lottery groups going in numerous instructions. On Wednesday, they are going to journey to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder to face final 12 months’s high seed within the Western Convention.
The Jazz completed 31-51 final 12 months, ten video games behind the Rockets within the win column. They’re nonetheless searching for some type of identification, however have re-signed ahead Lauri Markannen to a max extension. The large query for the Jazz this season is whether or not they are going to look to maximise their lottery probabilities early within the season somewhat than staying aggressive and ending within the center.
In the meantime, the Thunder are hoping to repeat their conference-best outcomes from final season after they jumped to 57 wins. The Rockets hope they’ll emulate that kind of success with their very own rebuild by taking the subsequent step this season. Each groups have brilliant younger cores, however in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder have what Houston does not: a real famous person.
Will the Rockets deploy a double crew this 12 months?
The Rockets are anticipated to begin the season with their common beginning lineup from final 12 months earlier than the accidents struck. That is to not say there aren’t fascinating questions with a number of key additions anticipated to play vital roles this season. Jackson Gatlin of Locked on Rockets requested head coach Ime Udoka about the potential for the crew fielding a twin roster that includes each heart Alperen Sengun and new Steven Adams in tandem. The Rockets coach responded that such a pairing was one the crew had thought-about, however {that a} twin lineup usually required one of many two massive males to be good shooters. In response to how far Sengun was from being a “massive area”, Udoka responded {that a} massive a part of Sengun was about mentality and never permitting open seems to be.
In fact, the Rockets acquired Adams final 12 months on the deadline from Memphis in trade for a number of second-round picks. Though the large man missed all of final season whereas recovering from surgical procedure, he’s absolutely wholesome once more and will play a big position this season in the best way the crew’s entrance workplace had thought-about. Regardless of a top-ten defensive ranking all of final season, one of many Rockets’ greatest crew weaknesses was inside protection in opposition to highly effective, bodily forwards akin to Denver’s Aaron Gordon. In these instances, when 20-year-old ahead Jabari Smith Jr. was overmatched, Udoka normally turned to veteran ahead Jeff Inexperienced.
The Rockets hope Smith continues to develop and get stronger, however these are precisely the sorts of matchups Houston can play Adams and Sengun in opposition to collectively, utilizing Adams’ defensive presence and physicality whereas preserving the offense from Sengun to the bottom. In any other case, Adams’ major position shall be to assist Sengun off the bench. The twin formation is one in every of a number of fascinating prospects for the Rockets to look at this month.
