JAZZ BEAT ROCKETS
Critical lessons learned from Rockets' 122-91 loss to Jazz
Oct 29, 2021, 10:49 am
Another tough loss for Houston. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.
This game was filled with mistakes that this young core of the Houston Rockets must learn from. Mistakes on the offensive glass, miscommunication on defense, turnovers, and ball placement hurt the Rockets throughout the game. The Utah Jazz are the veterans with experience, as they played with great IQ and communication, which is something this young core can learn from.
The Rockets had no pace and struggled to generate shots in the first half and second half. They finished with a -31 as a whole on defense and offense. The Jazz were able to capitalize on every mistake this young core made. Mostly in the first half it was just fastbreaks and open three-point shooting. Shockingly, the Jazz only had 14 points on fastbreaks and shot the three-ball at 35 percent.
"The way they defend, and what they allow you to get, you're going to have to shoot well to get them or your going to have to get layups in transition and beat them down the floor," Coach Silas said. "And the other end is figuring out a way to eliminate their three-point shots. The second shots killed us and their size in the inside on our switching killed us as well."
The Rockets also struggled with the rebounding, as it was 58-41 Jazz in that category. Things become easier when you have a stronger Rudy Gobert out-rebounding a frail Christian Wood. Gobert created a ton of a space in the paint for passing lanes and rebounds. He had great screens that allowed Bojan Bogdanovic to have great looks at the basket from the perimeter.
The Jazz capitalized on the switching terminology on defense and offense, which still confuses the Rockets. Also not communicating on defense hurt the Rockets a lot, which created open passing lanes and shots for Joe Ingles, Gobert, and Bogdanovic. Watching the ball movement and communication that the Jazz displayed showed great team cohesiveness, as they've been together for three-five years. Their team chemistry is something the Rockets must copy for future purposes.
Jalen Green did struggle but stayed aggressive throughout the night. He finally got opportunities to shoot free throws, as he was 77 percent in that area. Green is still struggling to find his shot in the NBA, but he did manage to have a career night versus the Boston Celtics with 30 points and eight made threes, which surpassed the Rockets' rookie record. In due time, Green will be able to make the most of his shots. He shot 3 of 16 (18.7 percent) from the field against Utah.
The things that I adore about Green is his aggressive nature, as he is averaging 14.2 points per game on 34.7 percent shooting from the field. He is averaging 15 attempts per game and doesn't care if he is missing or making. Green doesn't want to depend on the free throw line, as he wants all his strengths to come from his shooting. He creates great space between him and the defender because of his step backs and elite first step towards the rim. After his one-on-one session with John Wall, Green discussed the missed calls on him.
"I understand I'm a rookie and I'm not going to get calls like that. It's a man's league, anyway. I just have to be strong and keep playing aggressive."
As for this Rockets team, it's one step at a time.
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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