As the play-offs progressed, more teams began to go out of the tournament, and finally a total of 14 teams will have an early holiday before the playoffs officially begin. Of course, everything now has nothing to do with the Houston Rockets, and they have focused on building the team's future.
The Rockets have completed a signing!
According to a report by NBA reporter Woj, sources revealed that the Rockets executives had earlier signed multi-year contract extensions with the team's general manager Rafael Stone and deputy general manager Eli Vitus. According to the supplementary report, there are a number of key factors in the re-signing of the contract between the Rockets and the two managers, including the selection and development of young players, the introduction of free agents, plus the hiring of Udoka, and most importantly, the improvement of the team's record. The Rockets have moved up to the top of the league from 22 wins last season to 41 wins this season, and although they didn't make it to the playoffs, the Rockets have lived up to expectations this season enough to satisfy the executives.
Stone on Offseason Goals!
After an exciting season, there is more attention to the Rockets' operations in the offseason. However, Stone's statement seems to be a bit of a disappointment. Stone said he didn't have much pressure this offseason, or they didn't have any pressure to bring in reinforcements. Although Stone said that the Rockets will remain motivated in the market, the more important part of the team is the growth of young people, and they don't need to bring in any players, because Stone believes that there is a lot of room for the Rockets to dig in, and as long as the young people can continue to improve, the Rockets' results can continue to improve next season.
If you think about it, it's true, the original intention of the Rockets to rebuild at the beginning was to return to the championship competition, and they want to do this, and the team building model of teams like the Thunder and Timberwolves is more suitable for them, cultivating one or two or more of their own selected cornerstone cores, and then building a team lineup around them, which is the Rockets' model. Shin Kyung already has the appearance of becoming the cornerstone of the Rockets, and although Green's performance in March and April has varied greatly, if the requirements for him are lowered and he is regarded as the second and third choice in the team, maybe Green can also meet the standard. No matter how bad it is, using Green to pack some draft picks and working hard to trade to get a trustworthy second- and third-in-command, the Rockets are not without opportunities.
The Rockets roster is complete!
In addition to the inside-outside combination of Shin Kyung and Green, VanVleet can still play the role of a veteran core, and the Rockets also have a leader like Dillon who can give the team a boost of temperament and toughness. In addition, Jabari Smith Jr., Ethan, and Amen Thompson, these are all talented pieces of the puzzle that are perfect for this Rockets, and the key is that they can still improve their abilities. And don't forget, the center Steven Adams who was traded by the Rockets will be able to play next season, plus Landale, who completed self-redemption in the second half of the season, the Rockets' originally weak bench center link suddenly has two players with different styles and abilities, which makes the Rockets even richer.
Udoka style change succeeded!
In addition to the player lineup, the most successful aspect of the Rockets' previous reinforcements is the introduction of coach Udoka. According to statistics, counting this season, in the past five seasons, the Rockets have ranked 25th, 29th, 30th, 30th, and 1st in the league in offensive and defensive conversions. It's a surprising statistic, the Rockets barely converted during the Silas era, and Udoka went straight to the top of the league with that number. Obviously, this is the characteristic of a strong team, the basis of offensive and defensive conversion, is defense, if you don't defend, naturally there is no conversion, there are many mistakes, and there will be no conversion, and the Rockets under Udoka's hands, the defense is tough, and there are many conversions, which is prone to easy scoring opportunities, and a team changes from a fish belly to a strong team, which is an important data.