3 Houston Rockets who definitely won’t be back next season

Oct 14, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Houston Rockets center Boban Marjanovic (51) prepares to enter the game next to Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas during the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Houston Rockets center Boban Marjanovic (51) prepares to enter the game next to Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas during the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 13, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Stephen Silas

I’m going out on a limb here, but not too far out. The Rockets have been one of the worst teams in the league from the beginning of the season. That was probably to be expected with this exceptionally young roster, the problem is how little growth some of their key players have shown and how little Silas has been able to implement in terms of structure and positive habits.

Jabari Smith Jr.’s rookie season has been an enormous disappointment and Jalen Green has regressed in several meaningful ways. In January, veteran Eric Gordon called out his team for a lack of improvement. Plenty of others have leveled similar criticism at the team this season, including John Wall, analysts Kenny Smith and JJ Redick. Even Silas himself has called out his team publicly for a lack of effort and intensity. In a post-trade-deadline interview, even GM Rafael Stone said he wasn’t “satisfied” with the team’s development.

Silas is under contract for the 2023-24 season but reportedly his salary is completely guaranteed. Given how this year has gone, It wouldn’t be surprising at all to the Rockets decide to move on from Silas and find someone else to take the helm of this rebuild.

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