Rockets third-year guard Jalen Green is almost always smiling. But the smile is a little broader these days because he feels like this is the season the rebuilding Rockets have been waiting to have.
“I can’t wait to win,” Green said while flashing a smile. “That’s the biggest focus around here is to win.”
That is definitely the shared sentiment of the Rockets organization after three seasons of losing and three consecutive appearances in the NBA Lottery. The heavy rebuild is over and the Rockets believe this is the year where all the losing and frustration of the past few years finally pays off.
The Rockets have brought in a new coaching staff, led by former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, to help turn things around. The team has added three key veterans in Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and Jeff Green to help change the culture and speed up the rebuild.
Udoka, who comes from the Gregg Popovich coaching tree in San Antonio, guided the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his lone season at the helm in Boston. VanVleet, Brooks and Green have all gone deep in the playoffs with the previous teams and Green is fresh off winning the NBA Championship with the Denver Nuggets.
It’s a shift the young core of Rockets players has quickly bought into.
“You have people who can bring that winning culture to turn this thing around,” said second-year big man Jabari Smith, Jr. “So there is nothing but to be excited. As far as the coaching staff, you’ve got winning coaches. If you look at the resumes, you have people who have been deep into the playoffs and have been there and know what it takes. So, from that you can only be excited because you want to learn from that.”
The Rockets’ front office and coaching staff aren’t willing to put a number on wins this season or to proclaim they will be back in the playoffs. But when you look at the aggressiveness general manager Rafael Stone displayed in constructing the roster it’s obvious that a push for the postseason is the goal this season.
What the Rockets’ success will come down to is the chemistry coming together with the veteran pieces and the returning young core that includes Tari Eason, Alperen Sengun, Smith and Green. The Rockets have also added two young rookie talents in point guard Amen Thompson and small forward Cam Whitmore.
So far in the preseason, the chemistry in the backcourt with VanVleet and Green has looked promising and seems to have a much better flow than when Kevin Porter Jr. was running point.
Stone’s hope is after going through three rough seasons under Stephen Silas that we will see a lot of natural growth from the young players this season.
“That’s my expectation, that we are going to see the fruits of their labor quickly,” Stone said. “And I do think that the additions we were able to make this offseason will put people into position to have to do less and be more successful.”
The biggest focus will be on Green, who has future NBA All-Star written all over him. Green, the No.2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, has shown that he is a natural scorer and can score with some of the best in the NBA after averaging 22.1 points per game last season.
But now Udoka’s goal is to get him to take the next step which is becoming a more well-rounded player.
“He is a natural scorer, but we want him to do everything,” said Udoka, whose team opens the regular season on Oct. 25 against the Orlando Magic. “He has the ability to defend, he has the ability to get to the line. It’s not only for yourself but it’s about making others better around you.
“His natural growth and progression will be big. Twenty points a game in your second season shows your ability to score, but we want all our guys in general, but a guy as talented as him to be more well-rounded. That will be the challenge for him.”
Green, who had a great offseason, believes he is up for the challenge.
“I take a big responsibility in that,” Green said. “I know the fans are relying on me and my coaching staff.
“I take a big responsibility in that, and I think that I had a really good summer so going in from Day 1 it’s got to be 110 percent.”
That is the kind of buy-in Udoka is expecting not just from Jalen Green but the entire team as he looks to change the culture.
“Obviously, when you add some guys to the roster things can change quickly,” Udoka said. “So for us, it’s ultra-competitive, playing a different way and making some noise every single night. We want to take those steps.
“We are not going to put a number on it with wins, but we are going to go out every night playing with the proper effort and that will give you a great chance, and that’s the goal.”
