The Rockets Rebuild Isn't Easily Recreated

The Houston Rockets are at the end of a multi-year rebuild that required several painful years of losing. Houston's tanking years helped the team acquire all the pieces that helped lead to the current iteration of the Rockets, including an elite head coach in Ime Udoka and several impact players through the draft. While Houston's trajectory took sacrifice, it also isn't a pathway recreated easily.

The Rockets benefited from some fortunate draws in the NBA lottery, making one of the top four selections in four straight years.

Those top picks secured Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, and Reed Sheppard. Alperen Sengun and Tari Eason were also drafted in lottery positions. While Green is no longer part of the team, he was an integral part of a trade that brought Kevin Durant to Houston and set the Rockets up for their next era of contention.

Regardless of how many assets a team collects, having that much lottery luck is not something other teams can repeat easily. Even teams that have gotten some lottery luck, like the New Orleans Pelicans and Charlotte Hornets, haven't turned their assets into victories or created an elite team like the Rockets this season.

One difference Houston's rebuild had from other teams is that the front office was not able to acquire its top player through the draft. Thompson and Sengun show promise to continue their growth as players, but neither has become a true No. 1 option for a team capable of contending for a championship.

The Oklahoma City Thunder is a good example of using both the draft and trades to build a contending team. They acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and used draft picks to build a team around him.

The Rockets did the same in opposite order, building the team up through the draft before making a swing at one of the league's top players. They couldn't wait for one of their young players to become great enough to lead a championship team and decided to capitalize while they were able to compete for a title. They still have the upside from their young players' growth that could further raise their ceiling.

The Rockets' rebuild was a long and difficult process, but now they have a chance to reap the fruits of their labor with their best team in years.