What Inside the NBA Thinks of the Houston Rockets

There’s been a lot of discussion lately on what’s going wrong with the Houston Rockets. The frustrations by the players have been visible on the court during both losses against the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets. This is the poorest the Rockets have played all season, and the All-Star break couldn’t honestly come soon enough.

The Rockets surprisingly decided to stay quiet during the trade deadline, even with a clear need for a point guard. General manager Rafael Stone even went as far as to say if it even is their year. That was certainly a shock, but Houston’s injury luck has been the reason why. Veteran point guard Fred VanVleet has been out of the year with a torn ACL, and center Steven Adams recently had season-ending surgery.

Adams’ injury looks to have greatly affected the Rockets offense in a lot of ways, especially through offensive rebounding. The Rockets are looking stagnant on offense, and the defensive effort has gone down.

The Inside the NBA crew covered the Rockets’ win over the Mavericks at home last Saturday and shared their thoughts on the team.

The 21-time Emmy Award-winning studio show featuring Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame host Ernie Johnson and analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith now airs on ESPN and ABC for pivotal matchups and key weekend action. They will also be covering the Rockets’ game against the Thunder on February 7.

What Inside the NBA Had to Say

Ernie Johnson of Inside the NBA — February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; TNT broadcaster Ernie Johnson Jr. after the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Barkley doesn’t take the Rockets seriously. He said that right off the bat. The former Rocket doesn’t think their offense will be effective against the best teams. The Mavericks allowed Durant to be in a successful position that other teams such as OKC or Denver would not allow.

Houston is basically relying on Alperen Sengun and KD to go all the way and manufacture their own shots.

Smith, the two-time champion with the Rockets, mentioned when they put Amen Thompson in the dunkers’ spot, all of a sudden, the players are not in their typical spots. The spacing needs to continue to develop with a new look Rockets offense without Adams, and Houston will have to get used to it quickly.

Barkley mentioned that they don’t get a lot of easy baskets. That has been seen. It’s a reason why KD’s turnovers are high and the shooting numbers are down. Barkley also specified that he would want the best guys finishing the shot, not starting the whole sequence.

“When you start them at the top, they’re going against the zone. No player will score constantly against that,” Barkley said.

Barkley believes that the Rockets are so talented, but will not be able to go as far as they want to, which would be the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals.

EJ posed the question if the outlook on the Rockets is different if starting point guard Fred VanVleet was available.

“That changed the complexion,” Smith said. The general consensus is that the Rockets are true contenders if VanVleet was there leading the offense in the pick-and-roll, which would create more open shots for everyone.