The 2021–22 NBA season was the Rockets' 55th season in the National Basketball Association and 51st season in the city of Houston.[1] On August 20, 2021, the NBA announced that the regular season for the league would begin on October 19, 2021, returning to the typical 82-game schedule following the schedule disruptions that resulted from COVID-19.[2] After a woeful 17–55 record compiled in the previous season[3] following the departure of James Harden in a trade to the Brooklyn Nets,[4][5] the Rockets started a new era by drafting Jalen Green from the G League with the second overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.[6]
| 2021–22 Houston Rockets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Stephen Silas |
| General manager | Rafael Stone |
| President | Gretchen Sheirr |
| Owner(s) | Tilman Fertitta |
| Arena | Toyota Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 20–62 (.244) |
| Place | Division: 5th (Southwest) Conference: 15th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | AT&T SportsNet Southwest |
| Radio | Sportstalk 790 |
The Rockets were eliminated from playoff contention for the second consecutive season, which was the first time the Rockets missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 2010–12.
Draft
edit| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Jalen Green | SG |  United States
|
NBA G League Ignite (NBA G League) |
| 1 | 23 | Usman Garuba | PF/C |  Spain
|
Real Madrid (Spain) |
| 1 | 24 | Josh Christopher | SG | United States
|
Arizona State (Fr.) |
The Rockets held the second pick in the 2021 NBA draft, along with two other first-round picks from the Portland Trail Blazers and the Milwaukee Bucks entering the draft.[7] This was the first time the Rockets had a lottery pick since the 2012 NBA draft, in which they selected Jeremy Lamb with the twelfth overall pick. It was also their first time with a top-4 pick since the 2002 NBA draft, in which they selected Yao Ming with the first overall pick.
The Rockets traded two future first-round picks[a] to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the draft rights to Turkish center Alperen Şengün of the Beşiktaş Icrypex.[8] In addition to that pick, the Rockets would select the first ever player from the experimental NBA G League Ignite franchise in forward Jalen Green with the #2 pick of the draft, as well as select Spanish power forward/center Usman Garuba from Real Madrid Baloncesto and shooting guard Josh Christopher from Arizona State University as back-to-back late first round selections.
Roster
edit| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Roster Notes
edit- Point guard John Wall missed the entire season due to a hamstring injury.
Standings
edit
Divisionedit
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Conferenceedit
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Notes
- z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
- y – Clinched division title
- x – Clinched playoff spot
- pi – Clinched play-in tournament spot
- * – Division leader
Game log
editThe preseason and regular season schedule were announced on August 20, 2021.[9]
Preseason
edit| 2021 preseason game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preseason: 1–3 (home: 1–1; road: 0–2)
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| 2021–22 preseason schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
editPlayer statistics
edit| Player | Pos. | GP | GS | MP | Reb. | Ast. | Stl. | Blk. | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D. J. Augustin‡ | PG | 34 | 2 | 510 | 41 | 74 | 10 | 0 | 182 |
| Armoni Brooks‡ | SG | 41 | 8 | 690 | 81 | 49 | 21 | 8 | 254 |
| Josh Christopher | SG | 74 | 2 | 1,334 | 186 | 150 | 65 | 13 | 587 |
| Bruno Fernando≠ | C | 10 | 0 | 94 | 40 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 69 |
| Usman Garuba | PF | 24 | 2 | 239 | 83 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 48 |
| Eric Gordon | SG | 57 | 46 | 1,669 | 113 | 154 | 28 | 18 | 765 |
| Jalen Green | SG | 67 | 67 | 2,138 | 226 | 176 | 44 | 18 | 1,157 |
| Danuel House‡ | SF | 16 | 1 | 233 | 43 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 77 |
| Kenyon Martin Jr. | SF | 79 | 2 | 1,656 | 297 | 101 | 34 | 40 | 696 |
| Garrison Mathews | SG | 65 | 33 | 1,712 | 190 | 64 | 57 | 24 | 650 |
| Daishen Nix | PG | 24 | 0 | 261 | 33 | 40 | 15 | 0 | 77 |
| David Nwaba | SF | 46 | 4 | 609 | 151 | 35 | 28 | 20 | 233 |
| Kevin Porter Jr. | PG | 61 | 61 | 1,907 | 267 | 376 | 69 | 22 | 949 |
| Trevelin Queen≠ | SG | 10 | 0 | 74 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 43 |
| Dennis Schröder≠ | PG | 15 | 4 | 404 | 50 | 88 | 12 | 3 | 163 |
| Alperen Şengün | C | 72 | 13 | 1,489 | 393 | 185 | 59 | 68 | 692 |
| Jae'Sean Tate | SF | 78 | 77 | 2,056 | 420 | 222 | 72 | 41 | 919 |
| Daniel Theis† | C | 26 | 21 | 584 | 130 | 20 | 11 | 17 | 218 |
| Christian Wood | C | 68 | 67 | 2,094 | 686 | 155 | 54 | 65 | 1,218 |
After all games.[10]
‡Waived during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season
Transactions
editOverview
edit| Players Added
Via draft Via trade Via free agency |
Players Lost
Via trade Via free agency Waived |
Trades
edit| July 30, 2021[11] | To Houston Rockets Draft rights to Alperen Şengün |
To Oklahoma City Thunder 2022 DET protected first-round pick 2023 WAS protected first-round pick |
| October 6, 2021[12] | To Houston Rockets Sekou Doumbouya Unprotected 2024 second-round pick |
To Brooklyn Nets Cash considerations |
Free agency
editRe-signed
edit| Date | Player | Signed | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 9 | David Nwaba | 3 years, $15 million | [13] |
| August 27 | Armoni Brooks | 4 years, $7.2 million | [14] |
| September 6 | Anthony Lamb | Two-way contract | [15] |
| September 17 | Danté Exum | 3 years, $15 million | [16] |
Additions
edit| Date | Player | Contract Terms | Former team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 7 | Daniel Theis | 4 years, $36 million | Chicago Bulls | [17] |
| August 25 | Daishen Nix | 1 year, $925 thousand | NBA G League Ignite | [18] |
Subtractions
edit| Date | Player | Reason left | New team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 1[b] | Avery Bradley | Unrestricted free agent | Golden State Warriors | [19] |
| August 1[c] | D. J. Wilson | Oklahoma City Thunder | [20] | |
| August 6 | Kelly Olynyk | Detroit Pistons | [21] | |
| August 10 | Sterling Brown | Dallas Mavericks | [22] | |
| September 24 | Matthew Hurt | Waived | Memphis Grizzlies | [23] |
| October 6 | Khyri Thomas | Bilbao Basket | [23] | |
| October 7 | Sekou Doumbouya | Los Angeles Lakers | [24] | |
| October 14 | Tyler Bey | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | [25] | |
| October 16 | Dante Exum | FC Barcelona | [26] | |
| December 21 | Danuel House | New York Knicks | [27] |
References
edit- ^ "Houston Rockets Franchise Index". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ "NBA announces schedule for 75th Anniversary Season". NBA.com. August 20, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
- ^ "2020–21 Houston Rockets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ "Brooklyn Nets Acquire James Harden". NBA.com. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ "Rockets Announce Revised Four-Team Trade". NBA.com. January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ "Rockets select Jalen Green with No. 2 pick of 2021 NBA Draft. The Rockets missed the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive season". Houston Chronicle. July 29, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ "2021 NBA draft order: Complete picks for the first and second round". espn.com. June 22, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ "Rockets acquire 16th pick Alperen Sengun in trade with Thunder". NBA.com. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Rockets Announce Schedule for 2021-22 NBA Season". NBA.com. August 20, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ "2021-22 Houston Rockets Roster and Stats". Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ "Rockets Acquire Four Players in 2021 NBA Draft". NBA.com. July 30, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ "Brooklyn Nets Complete Trade With Houston Rockets". Brooklyn Nets. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ "Rockets Re-Sign David Nwaba". Houston Rockets. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ Iko, Kelly [@KellyIkoNBA] (October 14, 2021). "Per sources to @TheAthletic: Armoni Brooks' four-year deal with Houston worth up to $7.2M. First year is fully guaranteed. The second and third years have July trigger dates. The fourth year is a team option" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Rockets Re-Sign Anthony Lamb to Two-Way Contract". Houston Rockets. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ "Houston Rockets announce signing of free agent guard Dante Exum". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "Rockets Acquire Daniel Theis". Houston Rockets. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ "Rockets Sign Tyler Bey and Daishen Nix". Houston Rockets. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ "Warriors Announce Roster for 2021-22 Training Camp, Fueled by Gatorade". Golden State Warriors. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ "Thunder Adds Edwards and Wilson to Training Camp Roster". Oklahoma City Thunder. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ^ "Detroit Pistons Sign Free Agents Kelly Olynyk, Trey Lyles and Restricted Free Agent Saben Lee". Detroit Pistons. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ "SMU-ex Brown formally signs with Mavericks". The Official Home of the Dallas Mavericks. August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ a b "NBA Player transactions". NBA Stats. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ Griffin, Cayleigh [@cayleighgriffin] (October 7, 2021). "The Rockets have waived forward Sekou Doumbouya, per Rockets PR" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Bijani, Alykhan [@Rockets_Insider] (October 14, 2021). "The #Rockets announced they have signed guard Armoni Brooks to a multi-year contract in addition to signing guard Marcus Foster. The #Rockets have waived forward Tyler Bey" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Dante Exum, a reinforcement for the perimeter". www.fcbarcelona.com. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- ^ "Knicks Sign Danuel House Jr. to a 10-Day Contract". New York Knicks. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- ^ The Rockets traded a 2022 protected first-round pick from the Detroit Pistons and a 2023 protected first-round pick from the Washington Wizards. The Detroit pick is protected top-16 in 2022, top-18 in 2023, top-18 in 2024, top-13 in 2025, top-11 in 2026, and top-9 in 2027. It will turn into a 2027 second if not conveyed.
- ^ August 1 was the deadline to pick up the team options of players. The Rockets did not pick up Bradley's team option.
- ^ August 1 was the deadline to extend a qualifying offer to restricted free agents. The Rockets did not extend an offer to D.J. Wilson, making him an unrestricted free agent.