In recent years, the Houston Rockets have been amid a youth movement.
Stockpiling quality young players has been the objective. Rafael Stone and the Rockets have accomplished that mission. This team boasts a “core 7” that rivals any collection of young talent in the NBA.
Yet, there can be drawbacks to having so much young talent. Each young player requires developmental reps. At some point, there are diminishing returns.
The Rockets may have reached that point when they acquired AJ Griffin this summer.
Do the Rockets have room for Griffin?
We don’t mean to be hypocritical.
Yes, we gave the deal an A+. We’ll stand by that grade. The Rockets flipped the 44th pick for a player who’d recently garnered interest in the lottery.
Here’s an analogy. You’re a rich person with an extensive collection of luxury cars. You’ve got so many luxury cars that there’s no more room in your garage. Someone offers you a luxury card for $5:
You’ll take the luxury car, right?
Still, you need more room for it. It’s a problem worth inheriting, but it’s still a problem.
What will the Rockets do with Griffin?
The Rockets don’t need Griffin
They may not do anything.
Griffin’s career hasn’t gone according to plan. During his 2022-23 rookie campaign, Griffin averaged 8.9 points per game while shooting 39.0% from three in 19.5 minutes per game. As a sophomore, Griffin’s playing time – and production – fell off a cliff. He averaged 2.4 points on 25.6% three-point shooting in just 8.6 minutes per contest.
What happened? There are varying explanations. Griffin dealt with some injuries. The Hawks had a coaching change – did Quin Snyder have an issue with Griffin? Yet, none of these factors would explain why Griffin’s shooting suffered so badly.
His performance in this year’s Summer League did not engender confidence. Griffin shot 28.0% from long-range. What on earth happened to his shot?
More broadly, Griffin’s play was listless. He did not appear to have a signature skill to lean on. If he’s a subpar shooter, he will inevitably be a subpar NBA player.
None of this is especially concerning for the Rockets. The plan is likely to keep Griffin largely glued to the bench. He’ll get an opportunity if someone suffers an injury. If he makes the most of it, the Rockets will re-evaluate his future. He could still be part of the youth movement:
But he’s got to improve if the Rockets are going to have a core 8.
