Rockets Boast Two Top-10 Players in CBS Sports '25 Under 25'

The Houston Rockets' rebuild was curtailed, as a result of stellar drafting. Sure, they went through the dreary, painful phase, in which games were largely over by the second quarter, but it seemed worse than it was.

Meaning, three short years is a fairly insignificant amount of time to be tanking. Some teams have been tanking for ages.

The Charlotte Hornets have made the postseason just once in the last 11 years. It can be much worse, trust me.

The Rockets showed signs of improvement as soon as Ime Udoka arrived in 2023-24, as the team narrowly missed the play-in tournament at the end of the season (when Alperen Sengun got injured). In year two under Udoka, the Rockets leap-frogged to second best in the Western Conference, winning 52 games.

Again, it's all been aided by general manager Rafael Stone's ability to draft well. Alperen Sengun has become an All-Star and the team drafted him outside of the lottery.

Tari Eason has become a two-way force and he was also drafted outside of the lottery.

As for the lottery picks, they were mainly all hits. Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr.

The jury is still out on Reed Sheppard, because he wasn't quite able to contribute as a rookie. Inexperienced players oftentimes get buried behind proven veterans when teams are trying to contend.

Coaches favor the sure thing over an unproven player who may have a higher ceiling and more upside.

But it's known around the league that Houston has one of the better young cores. The assembling of young talent is indisputable.

In fact, CBS Sports writer Adam Finkelstein put together his "25 under 25" list and the Rockets had two players in the top ten, which isn't surprising.

Sengun, the All-Star center, ranked 10th (which seems surprisingly low). The writer's synopsis is below:

"Sengun is the most polarizing player among the top 10, even among NBA decision-makers. His supporters cite his interior skill, playmaking from the 5 spot, and surprising durability. His doubters the limited athleticism, lack of defensive versatility, and rim protection. He is starting this season in the best shape of his career so far, with an opportunity to be even more of a playmaker in VanFleet's absence, and alongside a generational scorer like Kevin Durant. It's also worth noting that Sengun doesn't rely on athleticism to be productive, so the 23-year-old's style should age well."

Rockets do-it-all forward/guard Amen Thompson ranked eighth on the list.

"There is a case to be made that Thompson is both the best athlete and non-Wemby defender in the NBA. He's also one of the more versatile, and maybe even positionless, players in the NBA. In just two seasons, we've seen him guard everyone from opposing big men to guards. Now, to start Year 3, with Fred VanVleet going down with injury and Ime Udoka experimenting with some jumbo line-ups in the preseason, we may get a chance to see if Thompson has some of that point guard potential that was talked about a couple of years ago when he was going through the pre-draft process."

The only other team with multiple players in the top ten was the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who had Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams on the list.