Where Fred Van Fleet, Dillon Brooks, and others fit in: The Rockets 2.0 depth chart

The initial wave of free agency has come and gone and the Rockets have done the bulk of their work, signing top point guard and wing targets in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks.

It took a good chunk of the $66 million available cap space — VanVleet signed a three-year, $130 million deal and Brooks earned $80 million over four years through signing and trading — not to mention the additions of recent NBA champ Jeff Green and Jock Landale – but Houston managed to add four veterans who were ready to step in and contribute to the win from day one.

Now the real fun begins.

Late last month, Rockets head coach Emi Odoka spoke about potentially adding several veterans to the roster, highlighting the “level of competition” that will only naturally rise with changes on the horizon.

“Nothing is being distributed anymore,” Udoka said regarding playing time. “We emphasized that to the guys. For us, it’s just adding the right people, elevating our organization and I think those veterans will help. We love talented young people and that’s a balance. It may not be the beginning or the end, it’s how we balance these lineups.”

Free agency ultimately came at a different price—Houston broke up former first-round players Ty Washington Jr., Josh Christopher and Usman Garuba, and Kenyon Martin Jr., a talented 2020 second-round athletic winger. Placing three first-round draft picks in The middle of the rebuild is questionable, but given where the Rockets wanted to focus, it was a necessary sacrifice. There was simply no easy way around the development/depth scheme fence. You could argue that the three should have been given more time on earth but that was also under an entirely different system. Moving on from Martin, who climbed into the Houston starting lineup after the departure of Eric Gordon would hurt somewhat given his rise and athleticism, but again, a necessary step to lessen the deadlock.

Bootcamp is still a long way off, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t at least some early outlines of a missile rotation. Let’s take a stab at it…

• I understand Udoka’s comments about not handing anything to his new players in terms of playing time. VanVleet and Brooks are exceptions to the rule. Porter’s days of posting as a temporary point guard with a legitimate football player and NBA champion under the position are now over. VanVleet will organize his teammates in his half of the field and more importantly he will be a capable extension of Udoka on the ground. The combination of VanVleet’s demeanor, intelligence, and experience make him the perfect mentor for Amen Thompson as he grows in the league. I still think Houston will use Porter as a ball coach, but now it’s more of a luxury than a necessity. The Rockets have done a decent job helping him develop into a player who can create for others, but he would be much more effective without the burden of taking offense on his shoulders.

• In a similar vein, Brooks broke into the role of Houston’s base ball stopper from this point on. Udoca may actually be setting up aggressive coverage while we speak. Antics aside, Brooks didn’t dance an All-Defense selection last season — he snatched it, a topic we’ll see routinely for the foreseeable future. We’re talking a powerful convertible winger who’ll rock you like Patrick Beverley and Marcus Smart, have upper-body strength like PJ Tucker, and hands and footwork in the top corner. Brook’s new deal comes with incentives and bonuses, according to league sources.

• There was real inner disappointment in not being able to get Brook Lopez in free agency. With that being said, assuming we don’t see another Deandre Ayton situation where Landale was constantly eating up his game time, Alperen Şengün should be able to lock in that starting center job by the time the dust settles. Talent and positive aspects cannot be ignored at this stage. There should be a strong role for the upcoming Landale—he was a sneaky good rim protector last season for the Suns and drew attention during the postseason. But I don’t think he’s dynamic enough like Şengün to replace him. However, Şengün needs to take additional steps in his development, particularly on the defensive side but if the rumors of his little growth spurt are true, he should be well positioned for improvement. Jeff Green is seen internally as a small ball center, stemming from his stint in 2019-20.

• The recent summer scuttlebutt points to duo Tari Eason and Jae’Sean Tate as early defensive players. Houston, on paper at least, looks like it’s in a much better defensive culture than it was last season. The likes of Eason, Tate, Vanfleet, Smith and now Brooks are good starting points for a team that has lived to the bottom of the league with defensive efficiency. Eason’s impressive defensive efforts as a junior—the 88th percentile impact per cleanup—should continue to climb. If Tate is able to recapture two-way form for his rookie season and assuming Thompson’s versatility is set, the Rockets’ second unit is primed for some intensity and aggression that can consistently push rookies. The training camp fights will be interesting.

• There is a plan for Cam Whitmore, the Villanova producer who was selected with the 20th pick in last month’s draft, but I would like to stress patience. There’s no need to throw him into the fire right away, especially given the number of players supposedly ahead of him on the depth chart. Again, Udoka’s presence gives reason to believe there’s an equal chance once camp opens, but don’t be surprised if he goes down a similar path to Martin, having spent time with the Rio Grande Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate.

• At a glance, the Rockets can still use another Veteran Combo Guard. Houston is still scrutinizing the market for depth of guard, team sources say, with the mid-level exception of full room still available ($7.7 million) and about $4.5 million remaining in cap space after an early spending spree.

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