What’s Next for the Houston Rockets?

Coming out of a season that started with superstar James Harden on the roster and finished with the worst record in the league, what are the Rockets’ next steps?

Ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, fans have been impatiently waiting for the chance to see their teams play live again, particularly in basketball's biggest stage: the NBA playoffs.

Yet, it’s already July and fans in Houston never got to fill up the Toyota Center and cheer for the Rockets, a yearly privilege they’ve had since 2013 before the pandemic.

Instead, the fanbase saw franchise player James Harden be traded away, the team set a new franchise record for most consecutive losses with 20 defeats and end the season with a 17–55 record, the worst in the league.

A family exits their car after parking in front of the Toyota Center on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in Houston, Texas. The Houston Rockets have played their home games at the Toyota Center since 2003 (left). A basketball court with no rims remains deserted at Root Memorial Square on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in Houston, Texas. The empty court mirrors the one inside the Toyota Center after the Rockets were eliminated from playoff contention (center). Two people, one being a Rockets fan, line up to buy tickets at the Toyota Center’s box office on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in Houston, Texas. Instead of NBA playoff basketball, the Toyota Center will be hosting concerts this summer (right).

The Toyota Center finds itself closed to the public on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in Houston, Texas. Metal fences that are usually used to welcome Rockets fans in an organized fashion await the next event to be used again (left). The Rockets Team Shop try to sell their last two James Harden jerseys at the Toyota Center on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in Houston, Texas. The jerseys that used to cost upwards of $100 now cost $20 after Harden’s departure (center). A painting of John Wall is displayed outside the Toyota Center on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in Houston, Texas. After 2018 MVP James Harden was traded, the five-time All-Star is the closest thing to a franchise player Houston has remaining (right).

A fan takes off their Harden jersey in front of the Toyota Center on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in Houston, Texas. After making the playoffs for eight straight seasons, the Rockets traded Harden away and finished with a 17–55 record (left). A James Harden jersey sits on the court at Root Memorial Square on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in Houston, Texas. Just like Harden didn’t want to wear a Rockets jersey any longer, many fans don’t want to don theirs either (right).

So, what now?

As surprising as it may sound, the Rockets have a lot of reasons to be thankful and excited about the future with the conclusion of the 2020–21 season.

The biggest of them all happened on June 22, when Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum announced that the Rockets won the no. 2 pick of the 2021 NBA Draft.

Houston dodged a bullet in the lottery, since if their pick fell anywhere outside of the top four, it would have headed to Oklahoma City as a part of the Chris Paul-Russell Westbrook trade in 2019.

In addition, the organization will have a great pool of players at their disposal on Draft Night on July 29:

“It’s a very good draft,” said Ben DuBose, a reporter for USA Today’s Rockets Wire. “The top four — all of them would’ve been (the) no. 1 (pick) with ease a year ago.”

The widely recognized top four players in this year’s draft are Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham, USC forward Evan Mobley, G-League Ignite guard Jalen Green and Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs.

Consensus no. 1 pick Cade Cunningham has already announced that he will only have a pre-draft workout with the Detroit Pistons, holders of the top pick. That likely leaves the Rockets to pick among the remaining three, a tough task to say the least.

“With Mobley, I think the Chris Bosh comparisons are pretty good,” said DuBose. “I think he's the safest guy that you could have that you could point to and say ‘Hey, this guy is clearly going to be a good NBA player,’ and at this point, the Rockets need some certainty.”

“It’s going to be hard to pass on Jalen Green, because he looks sensational,” said David Hardisty, founder of ClutchFans.net. “If you take Evan Mobley, there’s going to be — in the first year — some level of buyer’s remorse. You’re going to go to the Vegas Summer League and Jalen Green is going to electrify people, and people are going to say ‘How did the Rockets pass on this guy?”

“Suggs, I think his ceiling is lower than Mobley’s or Green’s, but that guy is a tough player,” said David Weiner, an NBA expert on Twitter. “He’s going to be a really good defensive player,” he added. “He’s got a very high floor, reminds me a little bit of Brandon Roy from back in the day.”

The man tasked with this tough decision is Rockets GM Rafael Stone, who just finished his first season as a general manager. Despite leaving fans split with the decision to trade James Harden and drastically shifting the franchise’s gears to rebuild mode, the team still has Stone’s back moving forward.

“I don’t think Stone is in any danger at all,” said DuBose. “From an organization standpoint, I feel pretty confident that Stone has a reasonably long leash just because the package they took for James is not one that they take if they’re looking at the next year or two as a serious evaluation period.”

Another person whose skills were doubted when Houston’s ship started sinking was first-time head coach Stephen Silas, but experts think he is a prime example of the phrase “correlation does not imply causation”:

“Even when they were going through the (20-game) losing streak, you had former players and former fellow coaches come out and say ‘Look, we know this guy is the right guy,’” said Weiner.

In fact, Silas is so qualified that despite being hired to coach a star-studded team, Weiner said he is still the right man to remain with the organization and coach the young players through their development, potentially helping the squad evolve into a contender again sooner than later.

“He’s a real players’ coach. Players love playing for him,” said Weiner. “Right now, this is a player’s league. When you have a coach that is not only a genius with orchestrating an offense, but is also beloved by players across the league, that’s a big key when you’re trying to recruit free agents.”

But while it all sounds so promising, that is exactly all it is for right now. Just promising. The future may look bright, but expect to see more of the same next season.

“I really feel like it’s a development year, just like this past year, and it’s going to be an exciting one for Rockets fans to watch, but I don’t necessarily look at it like the payoff is playoffs,” said Hardisty. “They’re going to be a young team, fun to watch, just not quite there yet.”