Houston Rockets: One Final Piece Is Still Missing

By Kevin Sanchez | Oct 6, 2014

Sep 27, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) and center Dwight Howard (12) pose for a picture during media day at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

There is very little doubt that the Houston Rockets are in the upper echelon of NBA teams. They finished fourth in a brutal Western Conference. This is a conference that saw a team with 48 wins miss the playoffs entirely. Although they flamed out early in the playoffs, many had them making a deep run because of their two superstar players in James Harden and Dwight Howard. The Houston Rockets believe they can win a title with this core. Recent history says otherwise.

While the Houston Rockets have a core similar to the early 2000s Los Angeles Lakers, the dynamics of the NBA have since changed. Much like those Lakers, the Houston Rockets have the top center paired with a top-two shooting guard. That is a great pairing for various reasons. Harden is an elite perimeter offensive player. Howard is an elite defensive player. It’s a match made in heaven. However, it’s not enough in the modern NBA.

Since 2007, every championship winning team has had two star players and at least one more dynamic player, capable of carrying the team at any given time. While Terrence Jones looks promising to jump into that role, he isn’t quite ready yet and hasn’t proven he can take on that workload yet. The Houston Rockets simply do not have that third player.

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Almost every NBA champion since 2007 have had that third player. The Boston Celtics had it with the Big Three of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. The Los Angeles Lakers had that third and fourth player with Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum. The Miami Heat had that third player in Chris Bosh. The San Antonio Spurs seemingly had three or four players who could be that third player on any given night. This is now the “Big Three Era” of professional basketball.

The most notable exception of this is the 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks, who had Dirk Nowitzki as their superstar player and Jason Terry as their No.2 , but no clearly defined third option.

It is extremely difficult to win in the playoffs with only two star players. The playoffs usually have teams who play much better defense than teams in the regular season. These are teams that have spent many hours scouting their opponents. It’s a lot easier to prepare for an opponent with only two players who can create their own shot compared to a team with multiple options after their star players.

Just look at the Spurs from last season. After Tony Parker, you had Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili to fill out their big three. When you factor in Kawhi Leonard right behind them, it’s not even fair. As our own Cody Daniel wrote, Leonard is quickly blossoming into a superstar player.

The easiest way to accomplish this feat is via the NBA draft. As I’ve said, Terrence Jones has shown the potential to become that third player for the Rockets and it would be the most realistic route of getting one for Houston. The Houston Rockets don’t have any cap space to use on another star player. Getting one internally would be ideal for Houston for a few reasons. It keeps the cap hit low and the chemistry will be there from season’s past.

Despite my praise for Daryl Morey and the way he has constructed this squad, there still isn’t enough here to win the title. The team took a step back this offseason and is a candidate to be this year’s Phoenix Suns; high win total but still misses the playoffs. Unless Jones develops quickly, this team is not a legitimate threat to win the Western Conference.

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