If the Lakers are full of veterans, then the Houston Rockets are at the other extreme. We know that the Rockets have just successfully bought out Wall, and also sent their main center Wood to Dallas. Although Wall and Wood are not old, one is 31 years old and the other is only 27, but For the Rockets' young lineup, Wall and Wood are relatively veterans.
Look at the current lineup of the Rockets. Apart from Gordon, the oldest player is the 28-year-old David Nuwaba. And the Rockets have always wanted to send Gordon away. If Gordon is sent away, the Rockets' average age is likely to become one of the smallest teams in the league. Take a look at what the Rockets have done in the past two years. In addition to sending away players such as Westbrook, Harden, and Tucker, the Rockets have been trying to find ways to collect first-round picks and use their own first-round picks. Round picks are used to select rookie players in the draft.
html In the past 12 years, the Rockets have had a total of 7 rookies. Jaylen Green, Shen Jing, Garuba, and Christopher were the four players who joined the team last year. In the recent NBA draft, the Rockets got another Jabari Smith , Ethan, and Taitai Washington are three rookie players.
html Got 7 rookies in 12 years. Have the Rockets really benefited from this? It's true. Although the Rockets' record and strength may still be at the bottom of the league, but give the Rockets another 2-3 years, after the rookie players grow up, the Rockets' strength can at least guarantee that they will enter the Western Conference playoffs. .
But it has to be said that the Rockets have collected too many draft picks + first-round rookies, and there are also some shortcomings. That is, there are too many rookie players, and it is really difficult to allocate the playing time of these young players. In order to make way for the newcomers, the Rockets may clear out the rotating power forward Kenyon Martin Jr. in the past two seasons. !
Martin Jr. has already been in contact with the Rockets management. He also knows his situation next season. Now that the Rockets have picked up Smith and Ethan, and there are also Garuba and Tai at the small forward/power forward position. For a strong player like Te, Martin, who is a second-round pick, will have his playing time further reduced, and may even be kept on the bench to watch the entire game.
Martin's performance last season was remarkable. Although he was not a first-class power forward, he averaged 8.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1 block per game, which was enough for Martin to play a role in any NBA team. Striker rotation. But in the Rockets, due to too many rookies, Martin is likely to lose his former tactical status. Therefore, although Martin has always been favored by the Rockets management, in order to make room for Smith and Ethan, the Rockets have to I reluctantly gave up on little Martin.
This is caused by too many draft picks. Draft picks are indeed "the more the better" from a conventional perspective, but in a team like the Rockets that is too obsessed with rookies, it seems to be having a counterproductive effect on the lineup. After all, such a useful and young player like Martin Jr. Maybe being given up directly by the Rockets would be too much of a waste of talent.
Fortunately, the Rockets seem to be aware of this. Fertitta has said that they will strive to win in the new season and may no longer be bad. Moreover, the Rockets will "transform" next summer - due to the clearing of a large amount of salary space, the Rockets will try their best to introduce star players and immediate combat capabilities, because the Rockets now have too many rookies available, and they will continue to compete for draft picks. Maybe it will backfire on the chemistry the Rockets have worked so hard to establish.
