The Rockets unsurprisingly struggled through the pre-All-Star Break portion of their schedule, but it wasn't all bad. Here is my Rockets first half (plus 17 games) awards ballot.
Best rookie: Alperen Sengun
Sengun has been a revelation and it’s shocking that he fell to 16th in the draft AND a team traded the right to draft him. The 19-year old has been so good as a rookie and so much better than the Rockets thought he would be when they drafted him July that he banished the team’s big-ticket free agent signing to the bench before he was eventually traded. Sengun has also forced Stephen Silas to change his offense, incorporating more post-ups than he did last season. He possesses such a unique skillset in today's NBA, so it’s understandable he fell outside the first half of the first round, but there are going to be a lot of teams kicking themselves for allowing that to happen.
Most improved player: Kevin Porter Jr
Porter’s first full season as a Rocket and first full season as an NBA point guard hasn’t been without bumps, but the growth from game one to game 58 has been quite noticeable.
First 22 games
Points per game: 12.8
Assists per game: 5.7
Turnovers per game: 3.9
Field goal percentage: 36.6%
Three-point percentage: 32.8%
Last 17 games
Points per game: 14.9
Assists per game: 6.8
Turnovers per game: 2.9
Field goal percentage: 44.4%
Three-point percentage: 44.3%
A strong 17 games won't cement Porter’s position as the Rockets point guard of the future, but he’s beginning to show he can handle the position at a high level.
Best defender: Jae’Sean Tate
Physical enough to defend bigs, quick enough to stay with guards. The Rockets are allowing a historically bad 116.4 points per 100 possessions, but that number drops to 114.1 with Tate on the floor. Not good, but not historically bad either, just bad. Still, it’s really fun to watch the undersized Tate compete on that end of the floor. The effort is always there.
Most disappointing player: Christian Wood
Wood averaged an efficient 20 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in his first season as a Rocket, and the team imploded when he sprained his ankle in Memphis on February 4. The hope was that he’d build on that success and take a step towards being the All Star he believes he can be. That hasn’t happened. Wood’s numbers have been fine, but they just feels empty on most nights, and there hasn’t been the consistency you want to see. Defensively he has taken a major step back. The Rockets are 29th in points in the paint allowed and 25th in second chance points allowed. Wood isn’t the sole blame for those numbers, but he’s a major culprit.
Most fun player: Jalen Green
Sengun is a blast, but his fun plays tend to happen out of nowhere, often a great pass that completely catches you by surprise, but with Green there’s some anticipation. Whenever he has the ball in space you adjust your position, so you don’t miss what is about to happen, especially when he's in transition. There's a buzz in the arena when he's able to throw down one of his monster dunks, and the reaction from the bench is priceless. Green is like the pitcher who comes in from the bullpen throwing 100 MPH, it wakes you up a little.
Best moment: December 8 vs Brooklyn
Almost 11 months after his "this situation is crazy and I don't think it can be fixed" press conference, the Rockets won their seventh straight game by dominating James Harden and the Nets. They led by 15 at halftime and 17 after three quarters, limiting to Harden to 4-of-16 shooting and forced him into eight turnovers. Josh Christopher, who wore Harden’s number 13 at Arizona State, finished with 18 points off the bench and made a bunch of big plays at the defensive end. The Rockets are 7-27 since that night.
Most Valuable Player: Eric Gordon
Gordon has enjoyed a career resurgence after a pair of injury plagued seasons. His counting stats won’t jump off the page, but Gordon is shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from behind the three-point line. The Rockets have been outscored by 5.9 points per 100 possessions when Gordon is on the floor this season, but that number jumps to 12.8 when he’s on the bench, and the team has lost all games he’s missed by an average of 18 points. Gordon has brought a level of professionalism to a young group who needs a mentor, and he's become a beloved teammate.