What we learned about the Rockets this offseason

Now that LeBron James has finally chosen the team he will, in all likelihood, finish his career with, all the major signings, trades, and additions have been made for this offseason.

This offseason will go down as one of the most active in terms of star-level players switching teams in recent NBA history. From Giannis Antetokounmpo to Jaylen Brown, NBA teams will look a lot different this upcoming season.

Some people around the NBA speculated that the Rockets may be one of those teams to try and make a major move this offseason, but that was not the case. The Rockets were coming off their second straight first-round defeat, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers, after an up-and-down regular season filled with injuries and inconsistent play.

The Rockets, however, felt they could not see the full potential of their team because of the above-mentioned injuries. Fred VanVleet, the Rockets’ on- and off-court leader, missed the entire season after a severe right knee injury consisting of a torn ACL and tears in both menisci.

VanVleet’s injury was a devastating blow, as the Rockets were never able to find a capable point guard to make up for his loss. Not having a legitimate point guard hampered the Rockets all regular season and even more in the playoffs.

The Rockets lost several games throughout because they couldn’t get the ball up the court without turning it over. They also couldn’t get into their offensive sets fast enough and at times looked lost on offense. The Rockets are hoping that VanVleet’s return will solve those issues.

VanVleet wasn’t the only Rocket to miss time; Steven Adams, the Rockets’ best screen setter and rebounder, missed the last few months, including the playoffs, after he suffered a season-ending injury.

The most devastating injury to the Rockets’ playoff chances, however, didn’t happen right before the playoffs when Kevin Durant, who only missed four games all season, played in only one playoff game after suffering two separate injuries, one right before the playoffs and another in the one game he did play in.

That injury was the straw that broke the camel’s back as the Rockets lost to the Lakers 4-2. The injuries also played a big part in the Rockets’ offseason plans and showed why they made the moves they did and did not make.

The Rockets front office and coaches want to see the team fully healthy

The Rockets, unlike some teams this offseason, had a fairly quiet offseason. They didn’t make any major splashes in free agency and have not made any trades so far this summer.

The Rockets did bring in two veterans to help solidify their league-worst bench. Marcus Smart was their first signing, and the Rockets hope he can bring much-needed help to their backcourt, even with VanVleet expected to be ready for training camp.

Bogdan Bogdanovic was also signed during free agency. The veteran is known for his instant offense off the bench, something the Rockets lacked all season as their bench was one of the lowest scoring in the league.

Both moves will help the team, but neither is as seismic as last year’s trade for Kevin Durant or the blockbuster moves some other teams made this offseason.

That shows the Rockets were content to run it back, but this time with a healthy team. Rafael Stone and Ime Udoka both stated after the season that they wanted to see how the team would look with a healthy roster, something they did not get to see at all last season.

We learned from the lack of major moves and the signing of Tari Eason to a long-term deal that the Rockets are going to give this current version of the Rockets a full, healthy season before they potentially “blow it up,” as some other playoff teams have done recently.

The league has not had this much parity in a long time, so the Rockets should know by the end of next season whether this is the team to lead them into the future.