What Does Success Look Like For Each Of The Rockets' Rotation Players?

The Houston Rockets seem to be running it back, bringing some veterans back from injury to reintegrate with the rest of the young players who they hope will be on the rise next season. Everyone on the team needs to see improvement if the Rockets are hoping the next step. Even the veterans must play better to truly elevate the team to competitive play.

The intruiging part of young players is the uncertainty behind where their games can elevate. While the team may be nearing the point where their young players are established in their roles, there are elements each can still improve. The uncertainty is still present to a certain extent.

For one, it's uncertain how much Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson can take away from their lead guard experience this season.

Sheppard is more suited for the suited for the natural ball handler and offense initiator role, but Thompson's assist rate was crucial for the offense this season. Both players pass out slightly more than 2 assists per turnover, which is not a desirable rate for lead ball handlers.

Houston should be able to pull more from these players in their assist totals, or at least in limiting their turnovers. A reasonable expectation for both could see Sheppard raise his assists-per-game rate to four or five, and Thompson's assist rate to about six per game along with Alperen Şengün.

Increasing assist totals would speak to better team ball movement, which should receive a boost from Fred VanVleet's return. However, the Rockets need him to return to his play from his first year in Houston.

VanVleet shot over 38 percent from three, along with over eight assists per game. He took more of the offense into his hands his second year with the team, leading to worse shooting splits despite increased team success.

With Kevin Durant now on the team, VanVleet should take a step back from his scoring aggressiveness and focus on his efficiency and playmaking. He is in a unique position to maximize possessions and his teammates talents if he can return to being a key initiator.

VanVleet needs his teammates to finish plays if he hopes to raise his assist rate, so Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason must step up throughout the regular season from three-point range.

Smith Jr.'s 37 percent in the postseason should be an expectation for him throughout the regular season. Eason should be aspiring for the same rate, as role-playing, floor-spacers are shooting at least that well to be considered legitimate threats from deep. The efficiency must increase, but so too must the volume. There isn't a single player on the Rockets attempting over three shots from beyond the arc as shooting has been Houston's biggest limitation in the new era.

The top two players on the team must also be much better for the Rockets to reach the level they believe they should be at.

Şengün must find a way to shoot more efficiently from the floor. For a big who plays near the basket, his shots still have a high degree of difficulty. Hook shots over big defenders and mid-range shots after post moves are consistent parts of his shot diet, making his shooting splits reflect more of a high-volume jump shooter and less like a big man near the paint.

The biggest improvement Şengün should seek is from the free-throw line; better outcomes from the charity stripe could increase his overall point total and the efficiency at which he scores his points. The Rockets shouldn't expect drastic improvement from there, but shooting sub-70 percent from the stripe is not a quality rate for a player whose main offensive trait is his touch.

Speaking of the mid-range, Durant must continue to provide that option for the Rockets, but he must find a way to keep his turnovers down. VanVleet should help with that by taking the ball out of Durant's hands, but there will still be moments when Durant plays in isolation.

He can't fold by giving the ball way to tight defense, and his passes against double teams must come quicker and sharper.

Every player on the Rockets has elements they can realistically improve heading into next season. While there's no guarantee those changes help them elevate to the upper tier of the league, it should help them become a much more legitimate threat than a first-round exit for the third-straight year.

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