What Could Be The Biggest Surprise For The Rockets?

Throughout the long NBA season, each team experiences an unexpected development that occurs from the start of the season. Whether a player fails to meet their usual standards in a down year or if a team receives unexpected contributions from an unlikely source, every team is eventually surprised by something throughout the season. While these surprises are unpredictable, there are some areas where the Rockets could expect to see some unexpected results.

One potential surprise could be a significant jump by one of the young players who haven't already emerged as stars or potential stars. Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun solidified their standing in the NBA with a strong postseason after a quality regular season. They will be counted on to contribute more to the team on both sides to help them reach new heights.

Outside of Thompson and Sengun, the players who could be primed for a big jump in their play are Reed Sheppard and Jabari Smith Jr.

Sheppard didn't get many opportunities last season, so his first leap will be to become a quality rotation player that can relieve some of the ball-handling duties for the lead guards and point forwards.

Smith Jr. has already turned himself into a quality rotation player, and the former No. 3 overall pick could have more room to grow next season. Working alongside Kevin Durant, Smith Jr. could see a huge improvement next season and become a deadly addition to the team.

Smith Jr.'s main traits to improve are attacking closeouts, hitting a higher percentage of three-pointers, and playing stronger on-ball defense. If he significantly improves each of these skills, he will quickly become one of the most important players on the squad.

The Rockets aren't necessarily expecting Smith Jr. to become that level of player, but it would be a welcome surprise for the Rockets as they try to reach the next level.

A negative surprise for the Rockets could be that the offense doesn't click as well as they envisioned. Durant is not a facilitator on offense, so spot-up shooters like Smith Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith will be able to depend on the team's best player to create open three-point shots for them. Fred VanVleet and Tari Eason could also benefit from having more shots created for them.

Taking a high number of difficult or contested three-pointers could hurt Houston's percentage. That would be a bad scenario for a team that struggled shooting threes last year. It's an element that heavily impacts winning, and a lack of outside shooting can cause strain in other areas of the offense.

The Rockets are hoping for more positive surprises next season. There are great expectations for the team next year, but they won't reach their goals without experiencing some unexpected situations.