2016-17 NBA Season Preview: Houston Rockets
Welcome to theScore's 2016-17 NBA preview, where you'll find comprehensive coverage of all 30 teams and storylines to watch this season.
Houston Rockets
2015-16
| Record | Southwest | West | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41-41 | 4th | 8th | Lost in Round 1 (4-1 GSW) |
Offseason Roundup
| Additions | Departures |
|---|---|
| Ryan Anderson (4 yrs/$80M) | Dwight Howard (ATL) |
| Eric Gordon (4 yrs/$53M) | Terrence Jones (NOP) |
| Nene (1 yrs/$2.9M) | Jason Terry (MIL) |
| Tyler Ennis (trade) | Michael Beasley (trade w/ MIL) |
| Pablo Prigioni (2 yrs) | Josh Smith (UFA) |
| Chinanu Onuaku (draft) | |
| Zhou Qi (draft) |
*Renegotiated James Harden's contract (4 yrs/$118M)
*RFA Donatas Motiejunas remains unsigned
Projected Starting 5
- PG James Harden
- SG Eric Gordon
- SF Trevor Ariza
- PF Ryan Anderson
- C Clint Capela
Player to watch: James Harden
After a disappointing, dysfunctional 2015-16 season and a summer of upheaval in Houston, Harden remains the player to watch, perhaps now more than ever.
Harden will never be an impact defender - though he can certainly be more engaged and less of a liability on that end of the court - but his offensive value to the Rockets is so absurd that it almost excuses his lackadaisical defensive effort. Expect that to be spotlighted under the tutelage of one of the game's most innovative offensive minds in Mike D'Antoni.
D'Antoni's teams run and score with the best of them, and point guards thrive in his system. Harden isn't a point guard by trade, and his new coach won't officially label his guards, but for all intents and purposes, The Beard will run the Rockets' offense.
Considering Harden has already averaged 27 points, 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and a 30.2 percent Usage Rate over his four years in Houston, it's fair to wonder how much of an impact D'Antoni can really have on his game. On the other hand, it's tantalizing to consider the type of numbers Harden can post with even a modest increase in the team's pace and his own usage.
An MVP campaign is well within his reach.
Season Expectations
The Rockets went from Western Conference finalist to postseason pretender in the span of less than a year. They may have the talent to engineer a similar turnaround this season, only in the opposite direction.
D'Antoni should maximize Harden's scoring ability while further unlocking the All-Star's playmaking prowess for the team's shooters - few players are better at generating open, corner 3-pointers for teammates - empowering the Rockets to keep up with virtually any team outside of Golden State, offensively.
The questions remain on the defensive end, where the Rockets finished in the bottom 10 in efficiency last season, and it's tough to see where their offseason additions remedy that.
As presently constructed, Houston isn't enough of a two-way threat to contend for a title, but they have more than enough firepower to get back in the mix for a top-four seed out West, and to become one of the league's most exciting teams while getting there.