As the Western Conference accelerates, Houston must transform raw potential into championship contention through internal development or aggressive blockbuster trades to reclaim its status as a powerhouse.
With Western Conference rivals passing Houston by in recent years, I’m starting to wonder when the Rockets will reach their peak. Or what the peak will even look like given the competition, as mentioned on Roundtable.
Obviously the goal is (or should be) to win it all for the city, but that’s unfortunately not realistic every season. The team should at least look to make constant improvements, both as a team and as individuals.
I believe it starts with every player taking the initiative to work on their game when nobody else is watching. This is particularly important for the young core of the team, as that’s the future.
This league revolves around stars, so those guys have to pan out for a team to be successful. One way or another, those stars need to lead to championship contention.
Whether their talents take a team to the promised land, or if they’re ultimately just trade chips to bring in Finals level talent, it’s imperative for the end goals.
It’s still a little murky which route Houston is trying to take, as they have plenty of home grown talent, but did also trade Jalen Green for Kevin Durant next season. That wouldn’t make it too surprising for the team to take a swing at Giannis this summer, but only time will tell.