Rockets' Non Stars Need More Aggression On Offense

The Houston Rockets are confident in their dynamic duo of Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant to lead their offense and deliver timely buckets in the clutch. However, the team's top players may not be able to contribute a top level of play every single game, and the Rockets might not be able to rely on them to bail the offense out of bad situations every critical moment.

Houston needs some of their non stars to become legitimate threats in the clutch to provide more options for the offense to help the team get by when the first options struggle.

Amen Thompson was expected to take that role as the team's third option, but he has been tentative and hesitant with his own offense after being asked to help facilitate more often.

When Thompson is decisive and aggressive, he gets downhill at will and finishes well at the basket. His touch around the rim has struggled somewhat, and his performance in the latter games of last year's postseason hasn't translated to consistency this season.

One of the difficulties could be that Thompson hasn't developed as an NBA-level lead guard. There's still a chance he could become an elite perimeter creator.

However, the Rockets have a potential lead guard on the roster with Reed Sheppard, who has grown in confidence throughout the season.

Sheppard has shown his shooting ability by being a quality distance shooter. He has now grown as a ball handler and is capable of leading the offense in short term stretches. He is growing further as a primary playmaker to help the team when the offense needs a spark.

Head Coach Ime Udoka is not ready to allow Sheppard to start when the full roster is available, mostly because of his limitations on defense. His contributions as a bench spark are vital for the team, but it's an intriguing prospect to imagine what he could provide along with the rest of the talented players in the starting lineup.

Jabari Smith Jr. is one of the members of the starting lineup that showed some promise in the clutch against the Denver Nuggets.

Smith Jr.'s peak would include hitting big shots at timely moments, just as he did in their game against the Nuggets. However, despite increased on-ball abilities, he still hasn't grown to a level to create for himself consistently.

The Rockets are hoping some of their non stars can continue to grow their games to become more viable options when Sengun and Durant struggle. At the moment, there is no clear answer for who can take over until someone else can be slightly more aggressive within the offense.