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It's back! The NBA regular season officially kicks off on Tuesday.
After finishing 3-1 in the preseason, the Houston Rockets will look to carry the momentum into Wednesday's regular season opener against the Charlotte Hornets at the Toyota Center.
Houston showed promising signs of improvement throughout its trial run of the season, seeing individual growth from the young stars and getting back some key pieces from injury.
With their eyes set on making the playoffs, the Rockets will need to set the tone for the year against a team that they dominated in both outings last season, the Hornets, and it all starts with star guard Jalen Green.
Green had a great preseason, scoring 20.5 points on 43.9% shooting in just 23.8 minutes per game, including a 30-point explosion against the San Antonio Spurs last week.
Jalen Green has done exactly what he needed to do in the preseason. Play under control and let the game come to him in some spots and be aggressive when he needs to be.
— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) October 18, 2024
22 points zero turnoverspic.twitter.com/sqeqCCbkjZ
The sentiment around the team has been that it is ready to take the next step, and the biggest determining factor of that is Green's improvement this season.
The young guard has proved many times that he can score with the best of them, but just hasn't been able to show consistency in his game. If Houston truly is ready to enter the playoff contending team conversation, Green will need to take the All-Star leap this season. He will look to get off to a good start against Charlotte in the season opener.
The Rockets will also keep their eyes on star center Alperen Şengün as both him and Green are eligible for contract extensions this season.
For those keeping track, the NBA’s contract extension deadline (applies to Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green) is at 5:00 p.m. Central today
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) October 21, 2024
General Manager Rafael Stone has shown interest in extending his young star's contracts, but will likely wait till the offseason in order to give Houston some cap flexibility.
That being said, it will be an important season for Şengün and Green as their play together this year could very well determine if they will get a huge payday next year.
Şengün has arguably been the Rockets' best player throughout their three-year rebuild, and will look to continue the impressive start to his career against the Hornets to start the season.
Year-two forward Amen Thompson and rookie guard Reed Sheppard are also names to watch on Wednesday.
Thompson will likely be leading the way for Houston's bench unit, and will have his hands full guarding Charlotte's superstar guard LaMelo Ball.
Sheppard will officially play his first NBA game against the Hornets. He showed flashes of how he could make an immediate impact for the Rockets with his elite shooting ability and quick hands on the defensive end during preseason.
For the first time, head coach Ime Udoka has an opportunity to take some of the load off of veteran guard Fred VanVleet this upcoming season, but a lot of that depends on how Thompson can improve as a playmaker and if Sheppard could consistently initiate the offense in his rookie year.
It also helps that Houston added veteran center Steven Adams to the roster last season, who can help make things easier for the young prospects with his strong screens and finishing ability.
Steven Adams teaching Amen Thompson how to use his highway screens the same way Ja Morant did
— Steven Adams Stats (@funakistats) October 11, 2024
Amen has talked about Ja Morant being one of the players he models his game on… https://t.co/uOBwd9PGkD pic.twitter.com/F9qeSf93Da
With high expectations and heavy excitement from the fanbase, the Rockets will look to start the season off strong and show signs of growth on Wednesday.
More must-reads:
- Report: Giannis Antetokounmpo still mulling exit from Bucks
- Troubling update emerges about Joel Embiid’s health
- The 'NBA Summer League MVPs' quiz
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