All-Star Break Represents Change for the Houston Rockets

After several years of toiling at the bottom of the league, the Houston Rockets are finally reaching new heights as a franchise. They entered the All-Star Break with a 34-21 record, just seven wins from matching their record last season. Houston has several factors to credit for this change. Internal improvements from its young players, steady contributions from its vets, and big performances from any player on the roster. Having representatives at All-Star Weekend is a major victory for the franchise, but what happens next will determine if Houston is a postseason contender or a championship contender for the next five years.

The Rockets showcased some of their top-rated talent during All-Star weekend from their available young players. Alperen Sengun is the team's best player, earning his first All-Star selection for a team that held the second seed in the West for a long stretch.

Sengun became a star last season, changing from a talented prospect on a bad team to a certified leader on a team with potential. Much of Houston's potential comes from his gravity in the paint and his synergy with Houston's cutters and floor-spacers. He provides the only consistent one-on-one threat offensively for the Rockets, and he creates open looks for his teammates by drawing double and triple teams in the paint. Sengun gets to play with one of his idols during the All-Star Weekend: Nikola Jokic.

Sengun has another gear to reach before he's considered a true No. 1 scoring option like Jokic but appearing in the All-Star Game is vindication for a franchise that fully bought into his unorthodox style of play.

Amen Thompson is a player who started gaining significant recognition this season, and his surge is a driving factor of the team's success.

Thompson was drafted as an NBA-ready defender, but he's taken another step forward this season. He consistently takes on the opposing team's best player, sharing duties with fellow defender Dillon Brooks. His size, length, and athleticism are in the NBA's top percentile, and he uses each trait effectively on defense.

He has also taken steps forward on offense, becoming a legitimate scoring option in certain games for the Rockets. His offensive game isn't consistent, and his shooting may never reach a lethal level. However, he's proven his worth on offense with intelligent play and big performances. Head Coach Ime Udoka has drawn up several plays in the clutch for Thompson, something that didn't happen last season.

While there is much to celebrate for the Rockets, there's another gear to reach before they can be considered true contenders. Their leading scorer, Jalen Green, hasn't leaped to superstardom the team hoped he'd become after the 2021 draft. He provides more of a scoring presence than draftmates like Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes, but he hasn't reached the heights of the No. 1 overall pick that year, Cade Cunningham.

Green is much more consistent this year, but he doesn't have enough high-scoring games to be in the ranks of other top talent in the NBA. Drawing free throws is a skill he'll need to access to turn some of his inefficient 20-point games into 30-point games consistently.

Houston's current top scorer scores less than 22 points per game, and the team's top passer gives out less than six assists per game. Fred VanVleet is a quality table-setter and game manager for the Rockets. However, his passing isn't game-breaking and Houston is last in the league in total assists.

Improved shooting or a better effort from each of their players to create plays through the pass could boost the Rockets' assist totals. But they need someone with top-tier scoring or passing gravity to take another leap for the end of this season and into next season.

If they can secure players with those skills while retaining most of their youth, they'll be in a prime position to compete for it all in the coming years. It's a difficult ask, but necessary if the Houston Rockets hope to avoid consistent mediocrity.

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