Houston’s Stars Are Leading the Charge Toward Success

The 2024-25 Rockets have made significant progress toward becoming a legitimate factor in the league. Years of planning and suffering through rebuilding have culminated as the current version of the Rockets that sit firmly in the second seed of the Western Conference. Houston's master plan focused on utilizing the talents acquired during the draft process. Nearly all of Houston's draft picks in the last four seasons panned out in some way, specifically in some of the team's main rotation pieces and stars.

Building the team around high draft picks helped the Rockets pick up three borderline stars in the league: Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, and Amen Thompson.

Sengun is a known quantity at this point in his career, and he is the player on the team who is already considered a star in most discussions. His strongest attribute is his basketball intelligence and anticipation, a skill he shows on both sides of the court.

Offensively, he sets his teammates into open shots and driving opportunities, and he can also create his shots through isolation in the post. Defensively, he uses his superior understanding of basketball, along with some quicker-than-expected footwork, to harass ball handlers on the perimeter and block shots at the rim.

While Sengun is missing more shots at the rim than usual this year, Houston's offense is best when it begins with him. Whether through post-ups or pick-and-roll sets with a lead guard, Sengun's teammates find more scoring opportunities when they utilize their big man's skill.

Green is finding out how best to play with Sengun while maximizing his talent. He is earning national attention through his improved play and dynamic style. He's starting to show the potential he showed when the Rockets drafted him No. 2 overall in the 2021 draft.

As the first significant pick in the rebuild, Green has shouldered a lot of responsibility regarding the team's performance. It took some time for Green to learn winning habits, but the influence of Head Coach Ime Udoka has changed the league's perception of him. While he's now scoring at a high level, he is also defending, playmaking, and rebounding with much more energy and effort. Green has improved his ability to use speed, specifically change of speed, to his advantage. He is craftier, stronger, and smarter as a player, and it's helping the Rockets reach new levels.

Speaking of new levels, Thompson is reaching a different stratosphere with what he provides to the Rockets.

Thompson came into the league as an adept defender, often taking on more difficult matchups during games. He still boasts impactful defense, but his creativity on offense is blossoming into a true force for the team. His speed makes him a strong threat when slashing to the rim. He's also an intelligent cutter, filling the perfect spots to receive passes that he usually finishes with a dunk. He and Green are deadly in transition, but Thompson can dribble the full length of the court to create an opportunity at the rim. Thompson's ball-handling skills haven't fully developed just yet, and he may never be a consistent, knockdown shooter, but he doesn't need either of those skills to be one of the league's top young players.

Under the guidance of Udoka, these three leading players have made major improvements that have led to their current performance. With Sengun, Green, and Thompson taking the lead, the Rockets are sending out the most competitive team they've had in seasons.

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