Next season, the Rockets lineup review will be a big deal?

In this summer's offseason, the Houston Rockets are definitely one of the most active teams. Since the free market started, Rockets general manager Stone's operations have been one after another, and every operation seems to be very good. The team's paper strength has improved rapidly compared to last season. Thinking of the Rockets ranking second in the Western Conference with 52 wins and 30 losses last season and fourth in the league, then the Rockets will definitely be looking forward to next season.

It has been nearly a month since the free market opened, and the signings from all walks of life are basically over. If nothing unexpected happens, the Rockets' lineup will be basically stable. In this article, let's take a look at the Rockets' lineup next season. The top guy on the list will evaluate whether the Rockets have hope of a championship next season.

Fred VanVleet, date of birth in February 1994, last season's data: played 60 games, all started, averaged 14 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists per game, with a double shooting percentage of 37.6% + 34.5%, contract status: 1+1 player options totaling 50 million.

VanVleet originally had a team option of 44.9 million next season. After Stone refused to execute the option, he handed VanVleet a two-year, 50 million contract renewal, and the second year was a player option. Stone's operation directly brought the Rockets a salary space of 20 million, which is a wonderful work.

In fact, when Stone rejected the Van Vleet team option, many people thought the Rockets were going to abandon Van Jordan. After all, Van Jordan is an inefficient attacker with obvious shortcomings in defense and relying on a large amount of shooting power to maintain decent data on the offensive end. This type of player is okay in the regular season. The higher the game level, the harder his performance.

In the first round of the playoffs, Van Jordan is really love and hate. He can not only make 4 of 19 shots in G1 and G2, only 2 of 13 three-pointers, 2 of 8 shots, and only 1 of 7 three-pointers and only 7 points in the game, but also can also make 8 of 13 shots in G4 and G6, score 25 points in 8 of 12 three-pointers, and score 29 points in 6 of 9 shots.

If you are a role player who doesn't get much money, such as Lyon Poway in the second game of the 2008 Finals, James Percy in the fourth game, Michael Finley in the 2007 playoffs, and Van Vleet in the Raptors, occasionally breaking out, it would definitely be a championship puzzle, but at that time, Van Vleet was a leader of the Rockets worth 40 million yuan, with such a big ups and downs, and their performance on the court was so unstable, and their defense was not good, and their organizational skills were only considered to be average. Therefore, many people think that there will be no Van Vleet in the Rockets' lineup next season.

I didn't expect to renew the contract.

Van Vleet has a role in the Rockets' lineup next season, but it will definitely not be very effective. He can temporarily act as a ball-holder or lead a substitute when Durant rests, but with his shooting percentage of less than 40% of the year, the effect will be visible to the naked eye. In short, let alone Van Vleet with 40 million, or Van Vleet with 20 million, it is not a puzzle to win the championship.

The Rockets renewed VanVleet's contract, which is to expand the Rockets' salary space. VanVleet is likely to become one of the cash bills next season. After all, the Rockets' championship window is only two years old. Do you dare to bet on VanVleet, who is one year older?

The second starting position: Amen Thompson, date of birth: January 2003, No. 4 rookie in the first round of 2023, last season's data, played 69 games, including 42 starts, averaged 32 minutes per game and contributed 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks, with a double shooting percentage of 55.7% + 27.5%. Contract status: a total of 20 million rookies in two years.

Let's talk about the defensive end first. Datang, a second-year-old (and a twin brother Xiaotang plays at the Pistons) has demonstrated the league's top defensive ability. He is 201 cm tall, has speed, strength, body, and explosion. He has strong defensive compatibility. It is not a problem from 1 to 5. He has a strong personal defensive willingness. He was selected for the league's best defensive team last season. It can be foreseeable that in the next few years, Datang will be the first gate for the Rockets' defense.

Also, on the offensive end, Datang's ball-holding attack was very reckless, basically without particularly fancy moves. He has strong explosive power, and the first step is very fast. Even if the opponent can keep up, Datang can withstand the opponent with excellent physical fitness, and then a dunk. The throwing shots he trained at the end of last season also showed initial results, and it is also possible to pass.

Of course, there are many problems. The first one is that you like to close the ball in advance and close the ball in a little bit of danger. This makes it easy for your offensive route to be predicted in advance. This is actually a reflection of Datang's insufficient dribbling ability. The small throws that I focused on last season were also a compensation for the insufficient dribbling ability. The other one is that three-pointers still have to be practiced. Last season, Datang's three-point shooting percentage was only 27.5%. Not only was it not possible to make a shot, but the key was that there were few shots. It took 24.4 minutes to shoot a three-pointer. Both the quality and output were so low that the opponent could empty the big soup unlimitedly.

Of course, Datang is only 22 years old this year, and his ceiling is much more than that. In fact, Datang has become a Rockets with a trading value higher than Durant. Next season Datang will be the team's unstoppable starter, and his defense will become Durant's most powerful offensive guarantee.

The starting number three: Kevin Durant, date of birth in September 1988, last season's data, played 62 games in the Suns, averaged 36.6 minutes per game to score 26.6 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, double shooting percentage 52.7% + 43.0%, contract status: 54.7 million per year.

Durant is the Rockets' biggest gain this offseason. With Durant, it is equivalent to having a foundation for winning the championship. Although Durant is about to turn 37, his combat effectiveness remains the same as before. He is still the best single player in the league. After Durant joined the Rockets, ESPN speculated that the team's probability of winning the championship next season, the Rockets soared from 18.2% to 28.9%, second only to the Thunder in the league, which is 32.4%.

However, the Rockets won Durant, but there are also hidden dangers. First of all, there are potential injuries. In the past five years since Durant left the Warriors, his overall attendance rate is only 67%, and his average playing time must be controlled within 37 minutes. Moreover, since the Achilles tendon ruptured, Durant's defense has declined very strongly, but there is no need to worry about this, because the Rockets also have Amen Thompson.

The sharpest spear + the hardest shield, this is the material basis for the Rockets to dare to compete for the championship.

Fourth starting position: Jabbarri Smith Jr., date of birth in May 2003, 2022 Tanhua Show, last season's data: played 57 games, averaged 12 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist in 30 minutes per game, hitting a double event rate of 44% + 35%, contract status: 135 million in 6 years, salary of 13.8 million next season.

After Durant's seven-team big deal officially ended, a reporter revealed that at the beginning, the Rockets' player that the Suns wanted most was Xiao Jia, but the Rockets refused to give it to each other, and said that Xiao Jia would be one of the Rockets' futures. This summer, with Xiao Jia still left with a rookie contract of 12.8 million, the Rockets locked Xiao Jia's future in Houston with a five-year, 122 million contract.

Xiao Jia, who can make both the Suns and the Rockets have high expectations for him, is naturally good. He can be said to be the most perfect inside player in the small ball era. He is 208 cm tall and 216 cm wingspan. He gave two templates in the draft that year, Ingram and Lamarcus Aldridge, but these two templates are not very accurate. Compared with Ingram, Xiao Jia hardly plays the ball very much. Compared with Ade, Xiao Jia has expanded a lot of offensive areas, far beyond the three-point line.

Xiao Jia is full of energy on the defensive end, and can be regarded as a weakened version of Wenban Yama. Last season, it was because he played few games without any honors. In fact, it was not a big problem to be in the best defensive lineup. He can run, jump, protect the frame, and move to the No. 1 position. He is also very diligent in playing. As soon as his teammates shoot, Xiao Jia will rush into the penalty area to grab rebounds even outside the three-point line, so there are often scenes of Xiao Jia grabbing rebounds and picking melons behind his back. Xiao Jia, on the offensive end, has a long-range shot skill in his first move, but his overall efficiency is average, with a low hit rate of 35.4%, and a few three-pointers every 6.2 minutes. However, Xiao Jia is still young, just celebrated his 22nd birthday, and the model has been finalized, so he is almost dead now.

Starting No.5: Alperen Shin-kyung, date of birth: July 2002, last season's data: played 76 games, averaged 19.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists per 32 minutes, with a shooting percentage of 49.6%, contract status: 185 million in 5 years.

Shin Kyung is not good at physical fitness, he can do anything else. He can be hard on the inside, can shoot mid-range shots outside, and can also organize and support him. Of course, the premise is not to encounter a divine beast like Jokic. Basically, about 80% of the inside players in the league can go up and slap them. Next season, Shin Kyung's four-year rookie contract will be officially over, and the big contract will be fulfilled. However, compared with Shin Kyung's overall strength, it is not much more than 30 million a year to give him a slight amount of money.

Substitute player:

6: Tari Ethan, date of birth: May 2001, the 17th overall pick in the first round of 2022, played 57 games last season, including 16 starters, averaged 25 minutes per game, scoring 12.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.7 steals, with a double shooting percentage of 48.7% + 34.2%, contract status: 1 year, 4.1 million rookie contract.

Ethan and Xiao Jia are rookies in the same class. Xiao Jia has already obtained a five-year, 122 million contract in advance. Although it is not a maximum salary or a premium contract, it is at least a guaranteed guarantee. Even if Xiao Jia doesn't fight in the next five years, the Rockets and the insurance company will have to pay the huge sum of money, but Ethan's big contract has been delayed.

Because there are too many outstanding young people in the Rockets, Ethan played as a substitute for a long time, but this could not hide Ethan's outstanding strength. He was 203 cm tall and 218 cm wingspan, and an excellent inside line in the standard small ball era. In the draft, the upper limit of Dream Chasing Green and the lower limit of Anunobi, he can switch defenses without limit and rotate at will. Moreover, because Ethan's wingspan is very long, his defense and holding the ball is particularly good, and he often contributes one-on-one life-long famous scenes. He averaged 1.7 steals per game in 25 minutes last season.

The offensive end has a strong style and likes physical confrontation. He is one of the players with the highest offensive efficiency in the Rockets except Shin Kyung. He has flaws in the outside shooting, has few three-point shots and average shooting percentage. Just such a weakened version of the Dream Chasing Green player, how much should he pay?

The market estimate price is between 20 million and 25 million. The Rockets can afford this price, but the key is that Ethan's health has not been very ideal in the past two years. He has played a total of 79 games in two years, and his health is really worrying.

7: Josh Okogie, date of birth: September 1998, last season's data, played 40 games for the Suns and Hornets, averaged 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1.2 steals per game, shooting percentage of 44% + 35%, contract status for 1 year and 3.1 million.

Last season, Okogi ranked fourth in the league, that is, the advanced data can contribute 2.8 steals every 36 minutes, which makes his defensive efficiency rank among the top 30% of the league. Although Okogi is only 193 cm tall, his wingspan reaches 213 cm, which gives the defensive pressure to the ball holder. Okogi is a 3-pointer with a defensive ability exceeding the league average, but his three-point level is average. D defender,

The Rockets can sign Okogie with a salary that is only a little higher than the basic salary. Originally, Okogie had two years and 16 million contracts, but the 7.75 million next season is not guaranteed, and the Hornets had no intention of keeping the veteran. After the layoff, Okogie caused crazy grabs from all strong teams, including the Lakers, Celtics, and Bucks, but because Okogie had a good relationship with Durant (the two had been teammates for one and a half seasons in the Suns), they chose to join the Rockets with a basic salary.

8: Finney Smith, date of birth in May 1993, last season's data, played 63 games for the Nets and the Lakers, averaged 9 points, 4 rebounds and 1 steal per game, with a double shooting percentage of 45% + 41%, contract status: 53 million in 4 years.

is another excellent 3D forward. He is 203 cm tall and can defend 1-3 positions. He and Okogie are just the opposite. Smith has relatively average defense, but his three-pointers are very good. Last season, Smith's three-point shooting percentage was 41%, and his three-point shooting accounted for as high as 72%, with an average three-point shooting every 5.8 minutes, maintaining value and volume.

However, Smith on the defensive end is more polarized. His speed can match the small defender and can defend against the 1-3 position. The effect is ideal, but his body is too thin and his strength is too weak. He can't stand it even when he meets a bull-like player.

9: Steven Adams, born in July 1993, last season's data: played 57 games, averaged 3.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 frontcourt rebounds per 14 minutes, shooting percentage of 54.5%, contract status: 39 million in 3 years.

As the center of the goalboard, Duck Egg is quite qualified. It can be said that there is nothing better in the league than Duck Egg. Just say that you can get nearly 3 frontcourt rebounds in just 14 minutes of playing. Who else in the league? Furthermore, the quality of the pick-and-roll of the duck egg is also quite high. At the end of the three-point line, the size, thickness, shoulder width, and strength, it is no exaggeration to say, it is like a wall. Just two moves, it is not much more than 13 million a year.

However, Yadan also has all the shortcomings of the center of the goal. He is slow and cannot change defense. He is stunned when encountering military training. The Rockets can only bet that the players who play Yadan have poor touch, and there is nothing else. Besides, Yadan is the same as before on the defensive end. The top defense is OK, and assisting defense is about zero. Another point is that last season, Yadan's ending ability at the basket fell a lot compared to before. In the past, it could reach a shooting rate of about 60%, and last year it was less than 55%. This may be a sign that this ability is about to decline.

10: Clint Capela, date of birth: May 1994, last season, played 55 games and averaged 21 minutes per game, scoring 9 points, 8 rebounds, 3.2 offensive rebounds, 0.6 steals, 0.9 blocks, shooting percentage 56%, contract status: 21.5 million in 3 years.

Biuwang is also a master of frontcourt rebounds. Although he didn't play much playing time last season, he still contributed 3.2 offensive rebounds per game, ranking sixth in the league. Compared with Duck Egg, the Piaowang's pick-and-roll quality is not as good as Duck Egg, but his assisted defense and switch defense capabilities are much stronger than Duck Egg.

Even though it is not the peak of the cake king, in the Hawks last season, the opponent's single-player shooting rate will drop by 3.4% compared to the average shooting rate (the opponent's single-player shooting rate will increase by 7.4%). This shows that military training of the cake king is not a good tactic, and the cake king's salary is only about half of the duck eggs, which is simply good quality and low price. After the return of the King of Pie, in order to highlight their importance to the King of Pie, the Rockets management reassigned his former wardrobe in the Rockets' No. 15 locker room to the King of Pie, and was next to the team's core Durant.

11: Tyshaun Tate, date of birth in October 1995, last season's data: 52 games, 2 of which started, averaged 3.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per 11 minutes, with a double shooting percentage of 47% + 35%, contract status: 3 million a year.

Last season was Tate's fifth year with the Rockets. Compared with the previous four years, Tate's role has been significantly reduced. Average of only 11 minutes per game is also the lowest value in his five-year career. Tate is a relatively balanced guard in all aspects and is lower than the league average. He can organize, attack with the ball, throw three points, or use it as a 3D player, but he does not do any outstanding one. However, winning Tate with just 3 million is still worth the money. He can become a guarantee and support for the team to rotate at the 1-3 position in the new season.

12: Reed Shepard: Date of birth in June 2004, 2024 draft, last season's data: played 52 games, averaged 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per 12.6 minutes per game, and shot 35%+34% from the double event.

As Tanhua last year, Shepard did not get much opportunity in the Rockets. In fact, this is not up to head coach Yuduka. It is mainly because Shepard did not show his abilities in a limited time. As Tanhua, playing like this in the rookie season is actually very poor.

Shepard's fault is that he plays too well. Although it is generally fine to say that you are a traditional point guard who plays like this, it also means that his threat on the offensive end has been greatly reduced, and he dare not take responsibility at critical moments. If you are a substitute point guard, there is nothing to say, but Shepard is a rookie trained by the Rockets and is born in the Tanhua show. Is the Rockets' expectations for Shepard are just a large Calderon who can pass the ball?

Obviously not.

Shepard has a beard this year, which looks much more mature than last year. He seems to have also realized the above problem. In the two games in this summer, Shepard showed his singles crazily. His style was completely different from last year. He played 60 minutes in total, made 44 shots, averaged 23 points per game, and had 5 assists in total. The result was very tragic. He scored 16 of 44 shots, with a shooting percentage of 36%, and only 7 of 22 three-pointers, with a total of 9 turnovers...

——Summary—

It is not difficult to find that the biggest shortcoming in the Rockets lineup is the No. 1 position. The only two pure point guards Van Vliot are too low-efficiency and Shepard are too young. The Rockets' fifth position two great masters, Capela and Adams, are all good players at the end of the basket. If Van Vliot and Shepard can be played one or several role players, they can get one who can play pick-and-roll, throw three-pointers and defend, such as Celtics bald White, who can take care of the forward line and activate the inside, the Rockets' strength will go to the next level.

Don't say that the Rockets will not trade Shepard. The Rockets' window for winning the championship is only two years, and there is no time to wait for Shepard to grow. Besides, it seems that there is no difference whether they wait or not.

Even if you don't trade, the Rockets can still choose to win Van Vleet and Shin Kyung in the starting lineup and put in the "Death Five Fronts" combination, because in the Rockets' lineup, the strongest and deepest position is the forward line, Da Tang - Durant Okoji - Ethan Xiao Jia. This combination is the most perfect defensive template in the small ball era. If you have infinite defense replacement, just change it. Turn around and change it. You are facing the defensive gate. The offensive end focuses on fast-paced offense and defense conversion. Durant turns on the wireless singles mode. Xiao Jia, Da Tang's projection is assisted. Death Five Fronts, either you die or I am crazy. Think about whether this lineup will be a big deal next season?

Okay, that's all for this article. I wonder if the top guys on the list think there is hope for the Rockets to win the championship next season? Let’s discuss it together in the comment area. Every day at 8 o’clock in the morning, Fireworks brings the freshest NBA stories. Clicking on follow and likes can let Fireworks’ articles be pushed to you as soon as possible. It will be updated regularly at 8 o’clock in the morning every day, don’t miss it!