HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- Before taking the floor for the Rockets final home game of the 2023-24 season, Jalen Green grabbed the microphone and addressed the Toyota Center crowd.
"I know we fell short of the playoffs this year, but next year is going to be way better," Green told the sellout crowd.
Green and the Rockets followed that statement up by beating an Orlando Magic team fighting for the second best record in the Eastern Conference 118-106 in a game they controlled from the middle of the first quarter to the final buzzer.
The Rockets season will end Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles without a playoff berth for the fourth consecutive season, but this one is ending with a very different feeling than the three that came before it.
Less than two weeks ago the Rockets had climbed to within a game of the West's final play-in spot after winning 11 straight games. The five game losing streak that followed ended their hopes of playing an 83rd game, but the experience they gained will help moving forward.
"Last year when we got around that time (towards the end of the season), it was kinda like, ready to pack it up," Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr said. "It was fun to still be checking the standings and still be in the fight. It didn't end how we wanted it too, but that feeling is just a great feeling to have and we can just take it into next year."
The Magic team the Rockets dispatched on Tuesday can serve as a template of what next season could bring.
Orlando is 46-33 this season after finishing last season 34-48. The season prior they went 22-60. The Rockets are at 39 wins this season with three to play after winning a combined 42 the two preceding campaigns.
"We know what it takes to win games," Smith said. "We know how hard it is, how much dedication it takes, how much you gotta put into your body, how much you gotta be focused night in and night out."
Of the top 12 Rockets in minutes played, only Aaron Holiday is not under contract for the 2024-25 campaign. Six of the 11 that are under contract are 22-years old or younger, and the Rockets will have an opportunity to add at least one top 10 pick to a core that showed so much promise this season.
"I think the sky's the limit," Green said. "I think we know what we need to do from the beginning of the year to the end. We even had a chance at the play-in this year. Obvioulsy, that surprised me because I never was able to be in that position in my past two years, so I think we stay together, grow together, next year, we for sure in the playoffs."
