Houston Rockets: Healthy team ready to run the table post All-Star break

The Houston Rockets are slated to enter the final two months of the season healthy for the first time in a while. Now, they’re ready to run the table.

The Houston Rockets have dealt with a wealth of injuries so far this season. From the start of the season through the All-Star break, every starter, except for P.J. Tucker, has missed at least a couple of game with an injury.

James Harden missed three games at the beginning of the year but has been very healthy since then. Chris Paul missed extended time with a hamstring injury but returned to the lineup a couple of weeks ago. Clint Capela injured his thumb and has missed weeks of basketball. James Ennis, prior to being traded, also missed a decent chunk of games.

Beyond them, the Rocket sixth man, Eric Gordon also missed a good amount of time with a knee injury. Nene missed some good time too. I know he doesn’t play a lot but his minutes off of the bench were missed early on.

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While the Houston Rockets definitely missed all of those guys while they were out with injury, it allowed Harden to go on an absolute tear. He played some of the best basketball the world has ever seen. He has scored at least 30 points for 30 games in a row now. He is one game away from tying Wilt Chamberlain for the second longest streak in history.

Harden has, without a doubt, put the team on his back during this time fraught with injury. For the entire season, he’s averaging 36.6 points per game and the past 30 games he’s actually averaging 41.5. Harden’s streak has been incredible and it has carried this team through a really difficult and tough time.

However, coming out of the All-Star break, the Houston Rockets will be back to full strength for the first time in months and won’t necessarily need Harden to carry the team all of the time. Capela is the final guy the team needed back and he will be ready to roll on Thursday.

The Rockets currently sit at 5th place in the Western Conference behind the Warriors, Nuggets, Thunder, and Trailblazers. They’re also at the top of their conference with a two-game lead ahead of the Spurs. So, not in the most ideal spot, but they’re in a pretty good one.

With Capela coming back, the Houston Rockets appear ready to run the table throughout the final 25 games of the season. Beyond letting Harden go beast-mode, the Rockets did everything they could to stay afloat and competitive.

After Paul went out, the Rockets added Austin Rivers off of the buyout market. He has been a tremendous addition with his playmaking and shooting. A while after Capela went out and the team was struggling to find a viable, consistent big man they signed Kenneth Faried off of the buyout market. Both of those guys helped the team out in several ways.

Additionally, at the trade deadline, the Rockets didn’t go for a big splash but they shed a bunch of salary to get under the luxury tax line and added a phenomenal 3-and-D defender in Iman Shumpert. They have since explored several other buyout options but none of opted to come to Houston so, at this juncture, the team appears to have their roster set.

Rivers and Faried played considerable minutes while the injured players were recovering. Now, they will be relegated to fewer minutes and small roles, albeit, they’ll still have a key part in the team’s success moving forward. Shumpert hasn’t played a lot of games with the team yet but so far he’s come off of the bench.

On Thursday, when the Rockets take on the Lakers in Los Angeles, the starting roster will likely consist of Capela at center, Tucker and Gordon at forward, and Harden and Paul at guard. They’ll then have several solid players at their disposal off of the bench in Rivers, Shumpert, Faried, and Gerald Green.

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That is a very solid rotation that will power what should be an incredible final 25 games of the season. The Rockets haven’t had a solid, playable rotation that was nine deep in a long, long time. Beyond those nine there are still guys like Nene and Gary Clark who could play valuable minutes if need be.

With a rotation like this, the Houston Rockets are ready to run the table. With Harden playing out of his mind and carrying the team there have still been some issues, like rebounding and interior defense, and getting Capela back should solve them.

Also, having a rotation nine guys deep will be a major asset moving forward. With this rotation, the Rockets will be able to roll with whoever has the hot hand. They’ll also be able to rest guys as needed. So, this season that began with hope and turned bleak rapidly has a lot of hope, once again, moving forward.

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What makes you most excited about this Houston Rockets team moving forward? How many of the 25 remaining games do you think they’ll be able to win? Drop your thoughts in a comment below!

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