Houston Rockets in 2022-23 Five Dream Starting Lineups

Houston Rockets in 2022-2023 Five Dream

Houston Rockets in 2022: The offseason has already begun unofficially for supporters of lottery-bound teams like the Houston Rockets. There isn’t much more to play. Jalen Green is a certified bucket, answers the most urgent question heading into the season.Houston Rockets in 2022-23Houston Rockets in 2022-2023: The offseason has already begun unofficially for supporters of lottery-bound teams like the Houston Rockets. There isn’t much more to play. Jalen Green is a certified bucket, answers the most urgent question heading into the season.

Other important questions remain unanswered. Kevin Porter Jr. is a point guard? Is Alperen Sengun going to be a big star in the future? Is it possible to put fruit loops on a mac-and-cheese hot dog twice and not go to jail? The final 14 games are unlikely to provide much insight. Those questions will remain unresolved for the club in 2022-23.

They’re five dream starting lineups.

Houston Rockets in 2022: Dream Starting Lineup No. 1 

C: Alperen Sengun PF: Jabari Smith Jr. SF: Eric Gordon SG: Jalen Green PG: Kevin Porter Jr.

Sengun’s potential is undeniable. This lineup is well-designed to make the most of it. Of course, the Rockets’ lottery luck is also a factor. Smith Jr. is expecting to be in the first two rounds of the 2022 draft.

If the Houston Rockets do land Smith Jr., his fit with Sengun is hard to deny. He projects as one of the best shooting wings the NBA has seen in recent memory. It’s not hard to picture Sengun whipping behind-the-back bounce passes to Smith Jr. on the perimeter. Smith Jr. also compensates for Sengun’s lack of defensive range on the other end.

We’re retaining Eric Gordon in the starting lineup in this scenario because he and Sengun had past synergy. In the future, that is unlikely to be the case.

Dream Starting Lineup No. 2

C: Mitch Robinson PF: Jabari Smith Jr. SF: Cody Martin SG: Jalen Green PG: Kevin Porter Jr.

Of course, there’s a chance you can test Sengun’s boundaries without putting him in flames.

Mitch Robinson is a natural-born rim protector, possessing a unique blend of strength, verticality, and wingspan. His time with the New York Knicks appears to be limited since the team declined to extend his contract this season.

Adding him to the Houston Rockets isn’t the same as abandoning Sengun. Instead, it gives the team the chance to try out two very different looks. They can split center minutes between two starting-caliber, diametrically opposite centers: Sengun is offensively gifted but defensively limited, and Robinson is a typical rim-runner and rim protector. The spoils of the future starting position go to the winner of the on/off splits.

Otherwise, get used to Cody Martin’s name if you plan to keep reading. It’ll come up frequently. This season, he’s hitting 40.9 percent from a distance, and FiveThirtyEight’s D-RAPTOR gives him a 1.1 rating as the Hornets’ best defender. He’s the kind of three-and-D winger who also adds the finishing touch to any starting lineup.

Read more: Cleveland Cavaliers Injuries threat in the second half

Houston Rockets: Dream Starting Lineup No. 3

C: Chet Holmgren PF: Tari Eason SF: Cody Martin SG: Jalen Green PG: Kevin Porter Jr.

This season, the Houston Rockets haven’t said much about it. Their Defensive Rating of 117.8 is the lowest in the league. They lean into the draft here to do something about it.

Even if the Rockets choose Holmgren, some would argue that Sengun should remain in the starting lineup. Some respectfully but firmly disagree. The Rockets could try Holmgren at four alongside Sengun, but those lineups would be purely experimental.

Sengun and Holmgren would be the NBA’s slowest frontcourt duo in history. As a weakside shot blocker, Holmgren would thrive, but as a primary perimeter defender, he’d starve. Tari Eason of LSU, on the other hand, should be precisely that. He’ll regularly contain perimeter scorers in this ideal lineup. And they’ll have to deal with Holmgren’s outstretched arms when he can’t.

However, Cody Martin makes his second appearance in this lineup. It is a topic that will come up again and again. He’s a flexible player that can fit into almost any lineup you can imagine.

Dream Starting Lineup No. 4

C: Myles Turner PF: Paolo Banchero SF: Cody Martin SG: Jalen Green PG: Kevin Porter Jr

It simply makes too much natural sense to leave out. Paolo Banchero has the potential to be a legitimate offensive force in the NBA. Moreover, his ability to create on the field should be helpful to whichever team chooses him. He also struggles with two of the most important NBA skills: three-point shooting and defense.

It is where Myles Turner comes in. In both areas, he makes up the difference. Turner is one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. He is not necessarily a knock-down three-point shooter, but he’s a credible enough threat to space the floor. With Banchero, Jalen Green, and Kevin Porter Jr. attacking the basket, that skill will pay dividends.

Turner’s pairing with Banchero is too good to pass up. The Pacers may have an incentive to trade rookie Isiah Jackson now that he has made a name for himself. He may be a realistic target without getting into hypothetical packages.

Dream Starting Lineup No. 5 Houston Rockets

C: Alperen Sengun PF: Kenyon Martin Jr. SF: Adrian Griffin Jr. SG: Jalen Green PG: Kevin Porter Jr.

This lineup provides him with an excellent chance to achieve so. It also provides Kenyon Martin Jr. with a well-deserved spotlight. In eight starts last season, he averaged 19.0 points, 8.1rebounds, and 3.5 assists. He shoots 51.3 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from the three-point range.

Granted, that’s a small sample size, but why not give him one that’s a little bigger? Sengun would be loaded to the teeth with athletic cutters with rookie Adrian Griffin Jr. and also the Rockets’ anticipated backcourt. In addition, the spacing in such a lineup would be more than adequate.

Therefore, If Sengun is a potential superstar, he’ll be able to make this lineup work in his sophomore season.

Rafael Stone has two first-round picks and plenty of future-making predicting next year’s starting lineup hard. It’s likely to be easier on the eyes than the 2021-22 version, regardless of how it looks.

Photo Credit: thedreamshake.com

Read also: In Dillon Brooks’ return, the Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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