Prior to Monday’s home game versus San Antonio, the Houston Rockets decided to not play three veterans (Eric Gordon, Dennis Schroder, and Christian Wood) from their current rotation, with a goal of evaluating younger prospects like rookies Daishen Nix and Usman Garuba.
Officially, each player was listed as questionable earlier in the day with a minor injury. According to the official update, Gordon has a sore right groin, Schroder a sore left shoulder, and Wood a tight left hamstring.
But while the team will never say it on the record, it certainly seems possible that the standings may have played a role. After winning back-to-back games over the weekend in Portland, the Rockets (20-55) are now in a three-way tie with Orlando and Detroit for the NBA’s worst record and the No. 1 positioning slot entering the 2022 draft lottery.
While not a certainty, removing accomplished veterans from the rotation inherently makes a team less likely to win, which is beneficial for draft probabilities. Other teams that Houston is “competing” with, such as Oklahoma City and Sacramento, have made similar decisions in recent days to hold out marquee veterans such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, De’Aaron Fox, and Domantas Sabonis, just to name a few.
Shortly after Monday’s announcement, Houston Chronicle beat writer Jonathan Feigen tweeted that he expects the trend to continue.
I expect to change the last word of this tweet five times in the next two weeks. https://t.co/GVndPlr6Fb
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) March 28, 2022
Garrison Mathews started in place of Gordon at small forward, while rookie Alperen Sengun was in Wood’s spot at center. Nix became the primary backup point guard, effectively replacing Schroder.
While it’s hard to overlook the potential role of draft probabilities, head coach Stephen Silas is emphasizing the benefit of more evaluation time for those younger players entering the 2022 offseason.
Specifically, Silas pointed to Nix and Garuba, who plays in the frontcourt, as players he expects to get increased time.
“I’m anxious to see those guys play,” Silas said pregame.
With seven games left to play in the 2021-22 regular season, it shouldn’t be viewed as a surprise if it becomes a multi-game audition.
Silas talked specifically about young players, mentioning Nix and Garuba, getting more time now. "I'm anxious to see those guys play." https://t.co/3Bh3uIYmkm
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) March 28, 2022
