Houston Rockets: 5 takeaways from the 2018-19 NBA season

3. The midseason signings proved useful

For a team that was dependent on a high usage rate from James Harden, there were some great pickups during the season to fill the voids left by Chris Paul and Capela.

The first was Danuel House Jr., called up from the Rockets’ G League affiliate on Nov. 26, who became an impactful player after officially signing a two-way deal on Dec. 6. House’s brightest stretch was a series of 12 consecutive starts from Dec. 22-Jan. 14, in which the Rockets were 9-3 and House averaged 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 48 percent from the floor.

After that stretch, he’d be transferred back to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers until the Rockets converted him to a standard NBA contract on March 13.

The second, and maybe the most controversial of the season, came on Christmas Eve with the signing of Austin Rivers. It was long believed that Rivers and CP3 had a frayed relationship since Paul’s departure from the Clippers, but Rivers dispelled that upon joining Houston.

"“I have no problems with Chris, as you guys will see,” Rivers told the Houston Chronicle. “Obviously, if I had a problem with Chris I wouldn’t be here. Chris has a huge input on this team as he should. He’s a Hall of Fame point guard. If that was that serious, I wouldn’t be here. That will show you that’s not real.”"

Rivers eventually became an integral part of D’Antoni’s lineup during the regular and postseason. The Rockets frequently ran smaller lineups in the second round against the Warriors with Rivers, Harden and Gordon on the floor at the same time. He shot 45.7 percent from behind the arc in 11 playoff games.

In January, Kenneth Faried agreed to a buyout with the Brooklyn Nets, which led to Houston’s signing him and a “revival” of The Manimal. Faried was able to return to the form he’d established in his time with the Denver Nuggets, catching lobs from Harden and running for vicious slams on fast breaks.

Although his minutes dwindled with Capela’s return to the lineup, he was a spark plug of energy that fueled the Rockets’ offense leading up to the All-Star Break.

Also acquired at the trade deadline was 2016 NBA champion Iman Shumpert, who started to find a groove later in the year and saw valuable minutes in the Western Conference semifinals.