Houston Rockets
Before the NBA implemented its hiatus, it was looking more and more like the 2019-20 season was going to be the Houston Rockets‘ last hurrah. At the very least, perhaps Mike D’Antoni‘s as the team’s head coach. At the NBA Trade Deadline, they traded away Clint Capela and were going all-in on extreme small-ball.
Relying on James Harden and Russell Westbrook, the Rockets’ hopes were very much in doubt. Maybe another year together will bring the most out of the Harden and Westbrook combination. Even though Westbrook was beginning to look more and more comfortable in the weeks leading up to the hiatus, I’m not buying it.
Westbrook still can’t shoot and doesn’t have a great injury history. I might be completely wrong here, but I see the Rockets take quite the step back next season. Perhaps they don’t fall out of the playoff picture entirely, but this is not a contender anymore in the Western Conference.
This is a team that needs to retool. Looking at their cap sheet, though, it might be impossible for them to do so.