In the offseason, the Rockets had more than $60 million in salary space, and they thought the team would sign at least one All-Star caliber star to lead a group of young players, but in the end, the team only signed guards like defensive player Dillon and championship guard VanVleet.
So far this season, the Rockets have a 20-22 record and are temporarily in 11th place in the West, and will likely miss out on the play-in tournament. From the current point of view, many of the team's signings are debatable, Dillon is a great value signing, and Jeff Green is also worth it, but VanVleet, the biggest signing, simply does not have the ability to lead and coach young players.
Although the Rockets have had a poor season this season, five of the team's six young players in the team's reserve have shown their talent, especially the three defensive giants, who have become part of the team's future and the team's defensive formation has taken shape.
Green may not be able to water, but his ceiling may only be at the level of Clarkson, and Shin Kyung and Whitmore belong to the type of offense that is far greater than defense, and these two are already objects that the team will not trade.
In addition to these three, Smith, Ethan, and Thompson are basically a stable defensive trio in the future.
Eason will be the starting small forward, he is 23 years old, balanced offense and defense, is a player with a high ball quotient, plays very smart, although he has been on the bench this season, the team has not set up a strategy for him, but as long as he is on the court, he can seize every opportunity to show himself and help the team, it has a very sensitive rebounding sense and steal awareness, with continuous training, when his ability to hold the ball and the stability of outside shooting have improved, he is the Leonard of the Rockets, the future is definitely the best 3D in the league, but more biased to D。
Smith, as a 2022 scout, was evaluated before the draft that three-point and defense were his strengths, and since entering the league for more than a year, three-point and defensive have gradually cashed in on their talents. There aren't many offensive scenes this season, but he averaged 8.7 rebounds per game and shot 38.2% from three-point range. Smith, like Ethan, is definitely the best 3-and-D player in the future, but the difference is that Smith may be more biased towards a 3.
Thompson is the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, and his draft template is the 2016 No. 1 point guard Simmons, Thompson is very similar to his characteristics, excellent defense, rebounding, and passing ability, but the shooting and three-point shooting are insufficient, especially the three-point, Thompson needs to be improved, otherwise it will be difficult for him to be qualified for the point guard position. But judging from Thompson's start, the team's loss to the Celtics, Thompson's shooting is not as bad as imagined, and his defensive and rebounding abilities are very good, especially physical talent, defensive judgment, and passing timing have very strong potential, once Thompson grows up, maybe his achievements will be the highest for the Rockets.
Now the Rockets' starting point guard is VanVleet, the small forward is Dillon, and the power forward is Dillon. And at most two seasons later, the Rockets' starting defensive trio will enter the starting lineup at the same time, and the defensive lineup composed of Thompson + Eason + Smith will probably make any team scare in the next ten years, coupled with offensive talents like Shen Jing and Whitmore, the future Rockets are very worth looking forward to.
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