Who Steps Into Leadership Roles For the Rockets?

The Houston Rockets move into next season with some established leaders on the team. Fred VanVleet has been one of the team's vocal leaders since joining the team a few seasons ago. Dillon Brooks helped lead alongside VanVleet, but his departure left a hole in the team's dynamic. While the Rockets still have VanVleet providing a major leadership presence, there may be a few players who elevate to a leadership role.

Houston added Kevin Durant to the team with the goal of increasing their scoring output significantly. However, he adds an element of leadership to the team as well.

His leadership style isn't the traditional, vocal leader like VanVleet. He mostly leads by example, inspiring his teammates to put in their best work at all times. His practice habits are an example of how seriously his teammates should be taking their reps.

Durant's accuracy while practicing full speed could lead his young peers to aspire for a similar level of effectiveness in their training.

That form of leadership is vital for a team with so many young, impact players, but some of those young players may need to step into a more vocal role that Durant doesn't necessarily provide consistently.

A major candidate for a squad leader is Tari Eason, who is arguably the heart of the team now that Brooks is gone. His attitude and confidence leak into the rest of the team, inspiring them to play with the same edge.

Eason has been focused on playing elite defense and being one of the team's most impactful hustle players, but he may need to step into a more vocal role moving forward. It's easier for players to respect one of their teammates if that teammate consistently sacrifices their body for the team.

Few players put their bodies on the line as often as Eason does, so he could be in the prime situation to become a leader for the squad.

Another candidate could be Alperen Sengun, who is getting experience as a leader playing for his national team during EuroBasket. He's the Turkish team's best player, despite playing with a few fellow NBA players. He has been solid on both sides of the ball, scoring, passing to open teammates, and playing impactful defense to help the team win.

Not only can he lead by example like Durant, but he is well-liked by the rest of his Houston teammates, putting him in a position to lead the squad. Receiving influence from players like Steven Adams and Clint Capela may help him elevate to that role even further for the team.

When next season arrives, the Rockets will be leaning on their leaders to guide them through what they hope is a competitive year.