It isn’t yet clear who the Houston Rockets will add with their NBA-leading salary cap flexibility in the 2023 offseason, but the additions with ~$60 million in space could certainly be significant.
How significant? Between those additions and growth from the team’s current young core, 21-year-old guard Jalen Green is setting playoffs as a goal for the 2023-24 Rockets.
In a recent Instagram Live video, Green said:
Yeah, we’re in the playoffs next year. That’s what the plan is, that’s what the goal is. Try and get some wins. It’s a whole different year next year, we’re going in different. Coming in hot. Light the fuse!
At face value, it’s an extremely ambitious goal in the context of Houston’s recently completed 2022-23 season, which ended with a 22-60 record that was tied for second-worst in the league.
Jalen Green on IG
“Yeah we in the Playoffs next year. That’s what the plan is, that’s what the goal is. Try and get some wins. It’s a whole different year next year, we going in different. Coming in hot. Light the Fuse!” pic.twitter.com/wspHD8zmNO
— V̷a̷t̷o̷r̷ (@Vator_H_Town) April 20, 2023
Then again, perhaps Green — who averaged a career-high 22.1 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game last season — is bullish on internal development from the team’s emerging young core. Or, maybe he feels confident in the magnitude of external help (James Harden?) on the way with that immense cap flexibility.
Either way, it seems the No. 2 overall pick from the first round of the 2021 NBA draft remains as confident as ever.
