In a recent poll of the NBA’s General Managers, the Houston Rockets were commended for their youth movement.
Jonah Kubicek
After an eventful offseason, the Houston Rockets are 2-0 in the postseason, besting the Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans.
All that aside, the Rockets are far from legitimate contenders in the Western Conference and do not have a marquee star.
However, Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün are poised to break out, and the young core should be able to cobble together a playoff run in the coming season. In the NBA’s annual GM Poll, the league is starting to take notice.
The Rockets received seven percent of the votes regarding which team had the best offseason, good for a tie for fifth in the league behind the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Blazers, and Los Angeles Lakers.
The Celtics added Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday and the Bucks added a superstar, so it’s no wonder that the Rockets were not ranked first. Adding a former All-Star and solid starter in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks didn’t go unnoticed.
Jalen Green is emerging as one of the most exciting players in the league. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
The Rockets came in second for most improved, with 23 percent of the votes, behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are a bit ahead in their rebuild and receive a healthy Chet Holmgren, who has looked worth the hype thus far.
The final category the Rockets placed in was “most promising young core,” where they came in fifth behind the Thunder, Cavs, Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons and Magic have recent first-overall picks, and the Cavaliers and Thunder both have legitimate All-Stars in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Mitchell.
No close follower of the NBA would claim that the Rockets are the next team up. Clearly, the Thunder are a step ahead, and the Magic are keeping pace, but Houston is growing something special, and after a few desolate seasons, being on the rise for a change feels good.
