To say that I’m impressed would be an understatement. Some people, when they read the title of this article, might think that I’m clinically insane. The Rockets have now dropped their last 15 games, and are currently 11-25, but I think that the best is yet to come for this team.
First and foremost, let’s give Christian Wood the credit he deserves. He went from playing minimal minutes in Detroit to 22 points, 10 rebounds, and a block per game in Houston. He was an All-Star lock in my mind this year, but has sat out for some time due to injury. He’s missed the last 15 games, so it isn’t really any surprise that the Rockets have lost the last 15. Sure, theoretically, the Rockets have decent players that could and should be able to win a game every once in a while. John Wall, Victor Oladipo, Eric Gordon, the list goes on a on, but this team goes where Christian Wood takes them. For a majority of the season, that was Houston’s only hope, until they finally called up Kevin Porter Jr. from the G-League.
I know it is very early, but it is impossible to not talk about how good KPJ has looked in his two games with the Rockets. After a rocky start with the Cleveland Cavaliers, it wasn’t exactly clear what KPJ would be for this team. The Cavs needed to get rid of a locker room problem, and the Rockets didn’t give up hardly anything to get him. It was a risk free situation. KPJ torched everyone in the G-League, and when it was his time, he was ready to produce for Houston. If you remember far back enough to Porter being drafted, a lot of his draft comparisons were to none other than James Harden. When you’re a lefty and a combo guard, it is really easy to be compared to Harden, but it honestly goes much deeper than that. The way they attack the basket, the way they run the pick-and-roll, the way the play-make, hell even the way they Euro-step is the same.
KPJ has really impressed me in the two games he’s been with the Rockets. In his first game he put up 13/5/10 and 3 steals, and in his second game he put up 27 points, 8 assists, and 2 blocks. Now, his shooting numbers, especially from deep, are lacking when you compare the numbers to the rest of the league, but I’m sure that will come with time.
The Rockets front office still have some moves to make. They’ve announced that they’re working on trade options for PJ Tucker, they’ll probably trade Oladipo before the season is over, and there is a chance that they trade John Wall too. They’re having a fire sale for their older players, and looking for young players or assets to pair with KPJ and Christian Wood. They even have good role players like Justin Patton and Jae’Sean Tate. It will be just a matter of time before we start talking about the Rockets being a playoff team, and I couldn’t be happier for their young guys.
Round The Game 
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