Houston Rockets Roster 2019 Rockets Roster

In any other year, the Houston Rockets would enter the season as a legitimate title contender. This may become the best NBA team to never win a title as the Golden State Warriors have a hammerlock on the silverware. The Rockets swapped in several complimentary pieces around James Harden and Chris Paul, including Carmelo Anthony. Moreover, many Rockets mainstays over the past several years, including Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson, have now left town. The focus of this team will remain the same, but there will be several interesting storylines in Houston this season. The Rockets will be trying to catch lighting in a bottle during a likely Western Conference Finals matchup with the Warriors. The two teams have clearly separated themselves from the Western Conference and appear headed on a collision course before tipoff of the upcoming season. Beating the Warriors is a tall task and the success of the entire season will come down to whether the Rockets can win that likely playoff series.

Top Houston Rockets Roster Questions 2019

The Rockets made some clutch moves in the offseason to try and take down Golden State. Adding Chris Paul looked to have paid off, but his injury late in the playoffs has been the storyline each year with his history. The Rockets are lucky enough to have a top five player in the league, as James Harden is the guy in charge. They have Eric Gordon behind him which was been an important role. With Paul’s injury history, Harden and Gordon are a starting backcourt anyway. The Rockets loaded up on Trevor Ariza and P.J. Tucker to try and stop the wings they were going to play against. It didn’t quite work, but they will likely try and add LeBron through free agency. Clint Capela is the young center with a promising future. Houston is a team that can go small, which means Capela isn’t a lock for 30+ minutes a night.

Will Melo Kill Team Chemistry?

At this point of his career, Carmelo Anthony has become not much more than a team killer. The drama and the issues that surround him are sometimes not worth the benefits that he brings. As Melo ages, his efficiency has declined. In fact, his Player Efficiency Rating declined all the way to 12.7 last season, a far cry from Melo at his peak. His shooting has also taken a dramatic turn for the worse. It is obvious that Melo no longer has the talent to be one of the Big Three. The question about Anthony is whether he will be able to accept that, given his penchant for creating drama around a team when he is unhappy.

Can Chris Paul Stay Healthy?

CP3 has been plagued by injuries the past two seasons. In his first year in Houston, Paul missed 24 games. This was on top of missing 21 games the season before. Paul adds a whole new dimension for the Rockets. When he is healthy, Harden has the freedom to be liberated on offense and to focus on other things. The Rockets are a whole different team with Paul. When CP3 was in the lineup, the Rockets were 50-8, which is a number that would allow them to keep pace with Golden State. However, Paul is 33 years old. While he still has plenty left in the tank, injury may be more frequent.

Who Will Play Defense?

Trevor Ariza was the quintessential "3 and D" player whose defensive presence covered up for a lot of his Rockets teammates. Now, Ariza has signed with Phoenix, leaving a void on Houston. The question is who will fill Ariza's role this season. The players that the Rockets brought in this offseason are hardly defensive stalwarts. Harden and Paul will have to be disruptors on the perimeter to fill Ariza's role. In addition, Clint Capela will have to build on the flashes of defensive prowess that he has shown thus far in his career.