The Rockets Believe In Their Veteran Players

The Houston Rockets have acknowledged that they did not have enough this season to truly compete at the highest level. Their assessment showed that the absence of several of the high-value vets in the playoffs were a major key behind their early exit and an up-and-down regular season.

With the return of Kevin Durant, Fred VanVleet, and Steven Adams likely for next season, the Rockets are placing heightened significance on maximizing the impact of their veterans.

The Rockets felt the negative effects of missing their lead guard throughout the season. Of course, players like Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard were able to get lead guard experience and improve as ball handlers, the ball security provided by VanVleet isn't a skill shared by any of his teammates.

VanVleet's ability to run the pick-and-roll with Alperen Şengün was an integral part of Houston's offense during the team's first playoff run of the new era. The Rockets won 50 games through their defensive capabilities, and their ability to keep possession of the ball with a low number of turnovers.

The Rockets were also able to create extra possessions by grabbing a high rate of offensive rebounds, led by Steven Adams. He and Tari Eason contributed to one of the league's best rebounding teams, and the Rockets felt Adams' missing presence.

They were still a strong rebounding team after Adams went down, but the Rockets never got back to their historic pace from before his injury.

The Rockets created their identity based on the concept of just having more possessions and shot attempts than their opponents. Limiting turnovers, causing turnovers from the opponent, and snatching more possessions from the offensive glass are how the Rockets forced teams into the mud to play a gritty game that favored Houston.

Their style changed somewhat with the addition of Kevin Durant, but they now had the isolation, half-court scorer who could tie together Houston's other principles. Durant had another great season scoring the ball, but he also needed a ball handler who could function without giving the ball away.

Durant struggled against high pressure defense as the lead ball handler, a position he isn't suited for at this point in his career.

The hope is that VanVleet's return, along with growth by Thompson and Sheppard should provide enough ball handling to prevent high turnover numbers next season.

It seems the front office has decided that Houston's style of play will be largely dependent on the contributions of the team's vets when they return to action.