Houston Rockets: 2015-16 Season Outlook

2015-16 Roster

Trevor Ariza, F
Patrick Beverley, G
Corey Brewer, G-F
Clint Capela, C
Sam Dekker, F
James Harden, G
Montrezl Harrell, F
Dwight Howard, C
Terrence Jones, F
Ty Lawson, G
K.J. McDaniels, G
Donatas Motiejunas, F
Jason Terry, G
Marcus Thornton, G

Offseason Additions
Sam Dekker (draft, 18th overall), Montrezl Harrell (draft, 32nd overall), Ty Lawson (trade-Denver), Marcus Thornton (free agent-Phoenix)

Offseason Subtractions
Joey Dorsey (trade-Denver), Nick Johnson (trade-Denver), Kostas Papanikolaou (trade-Denver), Pablo Prigioni (trade-Denver), Josh Smith (free agent-Los Angeles Clippers)

Quick Thoughts

Until the Ty Lawson trade, most of Houston’s offseason additions had come through the draft. The Rockets spent the majority of their summer re-signing their own free agents, bringing back Patrick Beverley, Corey Brewer and Jason Terry on new extensions. The Rockets sacrificed some depth with the Lawson trade, but acquired a potential game-changer in the process.

Head coach Kevin McHale will have to work out his rotations — again — now that Lawson has joined the mix, but if he’s able to find the right balance, the former Denver Nuggets point guard is the exact kind of playmaker Houston has been searching for for years now.

The only question is whether Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas and two rookies will be able to A) stay healthy and B) contribute enough to make up for the departure of Josh Smith, who surprisingly abandoned ship for the very Clippers vessel that Houston sank in the postseason last year.

Next: Storyline: Who Should Start At Point Guard?