3 Rockets who won't be back after missing out on Play-In Tournament

The Houston Rockets were effectively eliminated from the Play-In Tournament on Thursday night. Faced with do-or-die circumstances against the Golden State Warriors, Ime Udoka's young group fell apart at the seams. The head coach compared his team to "deer in headlights," calling the Rockets either "soft" or "scared."

At 38-38 on the season, Houston is four games behind No. 10 Golden State in the standings with six games left on the schedule. It feels dire now, but this Rockets team was always going to face an uphill battle. Despite the spate of veterans signed over the summer, this is a young team. It takes time for players to learn the ropes and earn their stripes at the NBA level.

This season will go down as an overwhelmingly positive step forward for the Rockets. Alperen Sengun emerged as a legitimate offensive focal point, while Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks were the right vets to provide structure to a previously amorphous group. Their 2023 draft picks, Cam Whitmore and Amen Thompson, are both special, top-five talents. And yes, Jalen Green broke out big time down the stretch.

Houston is positioned for a major leap forward next season. Had I written this column a few weeks ago, it would have been easy to peg Jalen Green as an offseason trade candidate. Now, however, it feels like the Rockets will keep their young core in tact and look elsewhere for upgrades. Green and a boatload of picks for Mikal Bridges doesn't sound quite as appealing now as it did in February.

That said, here are the Rockets who won't be back next season.

3. Boban Marjanovic is the Rockets' most noticeable cheerleader

Boban Marjanovic has appeared in 13 games this season, averaging 2.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 4.5 minutes. While the Rockets could, in theory, bring him back on another minimum contract, that feels like wasting a roster spot. With Jock Landale locked up long term, not to mention Jabari Smith's emergent ability to play the five in Sengun's absence, there's really no avenue to consistent minutes for the 36-year-old.

Marjanovic can still provide some level of utility to an NBA team. At 7-foot-4 and 290 pounds, he can bludgeon his way to buckets and protect the rim in certain matchups. That said, Marjanovic's utility is extremely limited. When faced with floor-stretching bigs or quicker athletes, he becomes a major liability. He can dominate the paint against smaller lineups, but he tends to get quickly played off the floor on defense.

The NBA is going away from rim protectors who can't move laterally. Marjanovic is tough to score around inside, but once he's pulled out of the paint, it's easy to find lanes to the rim. If Marjanovic hangs back and plants two feet on the block, the opposing offense will deploy their best pull-up shooter and pick-and-roll Houston to death.

Plus, Marjanovic is 36 years old. At some point, retirement or a return to Europe is probably in the cards.

2. Reggie Bullock is not a regular member of the Rockets' rotation

In 38 games this season, Reggie Bullock has averaged 2.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists on 405/.400 splits in 9.3 minutes. One year removed from averaging 30.3 minutes for the Dallas Mavericks, maybe Bullock still has something left in the tank. He won't be maximized in Houston, however, and there's little incentive for the Rockets to bring Bullock back aside from veteran leadership, of which there is plenty on the roster already.

Bullock provides theoretical value as a sharpshooting 6-foot-6 wing who can carry his weight on defense, but the Rockets' depth chart is getting crowded. Whitmore and Thompson are going to earn even more minutes on the wing next season. Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith, and a healthy Tari Eason will all factor heavily into the rotation as well. Ime Udoka only has one basketball, five lineup spots, and 48 game minutes to go around. Bullock is squeezed out of the Rockets' game plan on a regular basis.

At 33 years old, Bullock should be able to land another gig in the NBA. He has been one of the league's most quietly reliable 3-and-D weapons over the last half-decade. That said, Bullock's value as a defender has waned and he doesn't offer much beyond the spot-up 3s.

Bullock made $3.1 million this season and the Rockets didn't retain his Bird Rights. He is probably heading for another veteran minimum contract this summer, but don't expect Houston to be the team doling it out.

1. Aaron Holiday won't be back as Rockets' backup point guard

Of the Rockets' impending unrestricted free agents, Aaron Holiday has been the most consistent member of the rotation. He has appeared in 73 games, averaging a respectable 6.5 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on .444/.394/.915 splits in 16.3 minutes. Nothing terribly special, but efficient, relatively mistake-free (0.7 turnovers) backup point guard play is a luxury not every aspiring contender enjoys.

Holiday is only 27 and he has certainly earned another NBA contract next season. The younger brother of Boston Celtics star Jrue Holiday, Aaron has been something of a journeyman over the course of his career. Houston marked his fourth team in a three-year span. Now, hopefully Holiday can establish some level of longevity with his next team.

It probably won't be Houston, though. While Holiday's blend of 3-point shooting and playmaking is useful, the Rockets already have Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green cemented in the backcourt. With Amen Thompson due for more ball-handling reps as the Rockets incorporate him more aggressively into the game plan next season, it stands to reason that Holiday faces a minutes reduction in 2024-25. He can probably find a more sustainable path to minutes somewhere else.

Thompson has been extremely impactful in his current role, that of a super-charged power forward who can connect dots as a screener, short roll passer, and at-rim finisher. But, in the end, Houston drafted arguably the best perimeter athlete of the last decade to one day lead their offense as a 6-foot-7 point guard. If Thompson receives those minutes behind VanVleet next season, Holiday becomes obsolete.