The Houston Rockets started off the season with their best possible scenarios. They already knew they weren’t getting Fred VanVleet back this season, and that Dorian Finney-Smith would take some time to return from his injury. However, everyone else was ready to go and playing at a high level early in the season.
Now that the Rockets have withstood some attrition this season, they must find ways to continue winning, even without their full cast of players available.
The team is missing Alperen Sengun, who has been the team’s best all-around player this season.
The Rockets depend on his playmaking and scoring ability, but they also count on him to contribute significantly to the defense in the paint and on the perimeter. With Sengun out, the Rockets have relied on Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson for their scoring.
While those two players have scored well during this stretch of time without Sengun, the rest of the team has struggled without the team’s best playmaker creating open shots for them.
Jabari Smith Jr. is one player who has felt the impact of Sengun’s absence. Smith Jr. has gotten many of his three-point opportunities on passes from Sengun. He’s had some rough games in recent weeks, despite taking open shots. His inability to knock down his open shots has crushed Houston’s opportunity to win in some games when he’s cold.
Smith Jr. has been on the court a lot this season, whether for better or worse. However, some of his teammates haven’t been on the court as consistently.
One player who has been in and out of the lineup is Tari Eason, a crucial part of the Rockets’ performance on both sides of the ball. Eason is hitting deep shots at a career-high level, and he is still the same pesky and energetic defender he developed his career around. He’s the ideal three-and-D archetype of player that can help Houston elevate their game this season, but only if he can stay on the court for a significant stretch of the season.
The Rockets can’t afford to drop many more games while Sengun is out, as their drop in the Western Conference standings continue. Now is the time for Houston to learn how to find wins when they are not at full capacity.
Not every team had the benefit of having their roster available so early in the season, but the Rockets can’t allow injury woes to submerge their chances at victory this year.
