General manager Rafael Stone said the Houston Rockets will prioritize adding veterans when orchestrating a roster ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. But when looking back at the 2022-23 season, the Rockets' young corps had only a trio of veterans they could rely upon.
Eric Gordon and Boban Marjanovic served as the veteran leaders in Houston during the first half of the season. But Frank Kaminsky became Gordon's successor following the NBA Trade Deadline in February.
Kaminsky's veteran presence was the most important role he played for the Rockets during the final 24 games.
Following the All-Star break, the Rockets revealed the team held a meeting where they vowed to finish the 2022-23 campaign by playing their best batch of basketball.
Jae'Sean Tate said Kaminsky had the most prominent impact during the meeting, and his message resonated within the locker room.
Kaminsky's message helped the Rockets finish the season winning nine games from March 4 to April 9.
The Rockets acquired Kaminsky, alongside Justin Holiday, from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Garrison Mathews and Bruno Fernando.
Holiday agreed to a buyout and signed with the Dallas Mavericks. He was the third veteran to leave Houston following the trade deadline — joining Danny Green and John Wall.
"It's good to coach someone you know," former coach Stephen Silas said. "He is an eight-year veteran player who has been through a lot. He has been on good teams. He has been on not so good teams. He has been waived. He's been in and out of playing groups. He can help a lot of our guys in the locker room, and that's important."
Stats: Averaged 1.8 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10 games played with the Rockets since Feb. 9.
Contract: Kaminsky will become an unrestricted free agent in July.
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