NBA Power Rankings: Preview the Los Angeles Lakers and the rest
By Corey Rausch
Houston Rockets. 19. team. 169. . .
Dearly Departed: Russell Westbrook, Robert Covington, DeMarre Carroll, Tyson Chandler, Jeff Green, Austin Rivers
New Additions: John Wall, Christian Wood, DeMarcus Cousins, Sterling Brown, K.J. Martin
Win Projection/Prediction: 34.5/Over
It is almost impossible to predict exactly what the Houston Rockets will be. Their ceiling is higher than most teams in the league. If they are healthy and the pieces fit, they have three former All-NBA players on the same team and a young burgeoning star ready to blossom. Unfortunately, the chances of everything working out are rather remote.
It starts with the volatility of the James Harden, and to a lesser extent PJ Tucker, situations. Both seem to not want to be in Houston and Harden has made a clear trade demand. Figuring out what this team is after any Harden trade is impossible given the varied market of available returns.
Related Story. Houston Rockets: Camp takeaways. light
Beyond those issues, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins are coming back after disastrous injuries. While they look solid now, it’s tough to bet on those two remaining healthy. Wall appeared in 41 games in 2017-2018, 32 games the following season and has not played in a regular-season game since Dec. 26, 2018. Similarly, Cousins has only played in 78 games over the last three seasons and missed the entirety of last year. Both had Achilles injuries over that time and should not have expectations of getting back to their previous levels at a minimum right away.
Relying on Christian Wood is somewhat more palatable. He had a breakout season for the Detroit Pistons last year, especially after the Andre Drummond trade. Following the trade, Wood posted a stat line of 22.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. He shot 40.0 percent from distance on 4.2 attempts per game. If Wood can continue this explosion as a starter with the Rockets, that could be enough to save their weird season ahead. New coach Stephen Silas has his work cut out for him but the team should still make it to the play-in games at least.