The One Rockets Trend That Must Stop Next Season

Although the Houston Rockets were much improved in 2023-24, they'll need to make one major change next season.

Jan 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) reacts toward Los / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The 2023-24 Houston Rockets were quite a feisty bunch, as they took on the personality of their newly-hired head coach, Ime Udoka. The players seemingly found themselves in a skirmish practically every night, regardless of who it was.

Jalen Green got in on the action several times, Tari Eason had a few dust-ups, Jabari Smith Jr. let it be know that he wasn’t going to be pushed around, and Dillon Brooks was at the center of multiple scuffles, which should be the least surprising, considering his history. 

The tone was set. The Rockets were done being bullied. 

That much was clear. The Rockets' rookies were also given the green light to stand their ground.

Cam Whitmore went back and forth with Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker and Amen Thompson grew intolerant of any perceived disrespect, which San Antonio Spurs forward discovered. Thompson also got into it with Dallas Mavericks center Maxi Kleber, who stands three inches taller than him and over 30 pounds heavier than him.

Thompson was ejected, as a result of his blow to Kleber's neck area, when the Rockets and Mavs faced off on April 7th. Udoka disagreed with the ejection, noting the difference in physicality from yesteryear to now.

Although Udoka rightfully wanted the team to send a message, the Rockets would be wise to discontinue this trend next season. After all, they put themselves at the discretion of the officials, who almost always issue double technicals.

This led to multiple ejections on the Rockets' front. Udoka himself was ejected when the Rockets squared off against the Los Angeles Lakers, due to a verbal spar with Lakers star LeBron James.

The aforementioned Smith was thrown out several minutes into the second quarter of an eventual victory over the Utah Jazz, and Thompson, and Dillon Brooks was ejected in the fourth quarter of the Rockets-Chicago Bulls game, due to a brouhaha with DeMar DeRozan.

Perhaps the most pivotal ejection was Thompson's against the Mavs, as the Rockets ultimately lost a game that had significant ramifications in their quest for the play-in tournament. Again, it's one thing to play with an edge and attitude, but it's another to make foolish, game-altering fouls, in an attempt to menace an opponent.

Considering that the Rockets had four players rank within the top 25 in technical fouls (Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr., Fred VanVleet, and Alperen Sengun), they were clearly doing the latter far too often, which put points on the board for the opposition, while also removing the Rockets' best players from meaningful games.

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