Rockets Head Coach Explains Decision to Waive Rookie Center

This week, the Houston Rockets made the decision to waive Rafael Castro. For the 2025-2026 NCAA season, Castro averaged 15.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game for George Washington University. The 23-year-old center went undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Per the Houston Chronicle’s Varun Shankar, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka explained why the franchise decided to cut Castro. Udoka also expressed that the team is considering multiple candidates to fill the open two-way roster spot.

"Our abundance of bigs in camp, having three and then Oscar [Tshiebwe] is here, playing really well."

Udoka on waiving Rafael Castro and the open two-way spot:

"Our abundance of bigs in camp, having three and then Oscar [Tshiebwe] is here, playing really well."

Says Houston is looking at 4-5 candidates to fill that open spot. https://t.co/hEXCGMqR29
— Varun Shankar (@ByVarunShankar) October 2, 2026

Alperen Sengun, Steven Adams, Clint Capela, and Oscar Tshiebwe are all potential options at the center position. Sengun is projected as the team’s starter, while Adams is likely to be an impactful veteran backup upon his return from injury.

The Logic

With Kevin Durant set to lead Houston’s offensive charge, finishing with the fourth-most points scored in the NBA last season, the Rockets should be looking to maximize the 38-year-old’s All-NBA impact before his player option for the 2027-2028 season kicks in.

The Rockets are coming off a 52-30 regular season record in the Western Conference and, like Durant, Sengun and Amen Thompson have the potential to earn an All-Star appearance in 2027. The undrafted Castro does not align with the team’s timeline in this regard, especially with Sengun primed to be a franchise cornerstone for years to come.

In a similar vein, there are developmental pieces from the Rockets that could face a lack of playing time throughout the following months due to the team’s strength. For instance, rookie Bruce Thornton is expected to fall behind Fred VanVleet, Marcus Smart, and Reed Sheppard in the point guard depth chart.

To a lesser extent, there is an argument to be made that Sheppard should be considered for a rotational promotion. Sheppard averaged 13.5 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.5 steals on 43% field-goal shooting over 82 games, finishing in the top 10 of Sixth Man of the Year voting.

While Sheppard demonstrated promising growth in his sophomore year, VanVleet has already established himself as a veteran leader within the starting lineup. Udoka can play it safe by first leaning into the proven VanVleet, then experiment with changes if there are needs.

Overall, several of Houston’s younger players could face a perceived lack of opportunity as the Rockets look to live up to their ceiling as serious title contenders. Castro was at the tail end of this group.

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