Alperen Sengun is making $35 million this season, but it’s clear Steven Adams makes more sense at center for the Houston Rockets, a core conflict that could prove fatal for the franchise if handled incorrectly. Houston is still trying to shake off the sour taste of disappointment from last season’s playoff exit, a series where they lost to a Lakers team without Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant played just one game. That gut punch, along with losing Fred VanVleet before he even played a game, has this team hungry to prove what they should have been a season ago. But how they navigate this veteran squad mixed with young talent is the absolute key.
Too Many Timelines, Not Enough Time
This isn’t just about one guy. The Rockets are a veteran team complemented by young talent, and when you have those two groups on different timelines, you’ve got a conflict of interest that makes winning tough. Sengun’s $35 million deal is a big part of it, especially when Adams just fits the center spot better. Then there’s Reed Sheppard, the third overall pick in the draft, who just has not panned out quite yet. These are tough decisions the Rockets absolutely have to make if they want to maximize what’s left of Kevin Durant’s career. They were 52-30 last season and still lost in the Western Conference first round. That’s a good team that needs to be great, and these choices are make-or-break.
The Offense Needs an Answer, And Soon
The Rockets’ lack of offense in the playoffs six months ago is what sunk them. Plain and simple. Without Durant and VanVleet, they simply couldn’t score enough points. Now with those guys back, their offense should theoretically be better, but they’re still going to force minutes on Sengun and Sheppard because of how much capital they’ve invested. Ideally, Houston would be able to trade one or both of those guys for a dynamic guard who provides some much-needed shooting, then slide Adams into that permanent center spot. Kyrie Irving, for example, is a name that’s been floated around and actually makes a lot of sense. Until they pull the trigger, though, they’re juggling too many things and the pieces just aren’t fitting right. They brought in Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic, but lost Dorian Finney-Smith, and that’s not enough to fix the core issues.
Finding the right guys to play nightly without completely disregarding their younger pieces will be challenging, no doubt. The prediction is clear: Houston is going to regress in the win column as they find their way forward. The Over/Under is set at 48.5 wins, and the smart money is on the Under at -110. They’re sitting at +2700 to win the NBA Finals, and with this much internal friction, that feels miles away. Their next step, whatever it is, needs to be decisive. It’s time to stop juggling and start building.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mavs Moneyball.
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