The Houston Rockets made it to within three wins of the NBA Finals this season. And though they ultimately fell short, the key pieces are in place for a team that is capable of being a championship contender in the coming years. The Rockets are also one of the most dangerous teams in the association from a fantasy perspective as they ranked sixth in points per game and were led by an MVP candidate in James Harden.
Now that their season has come to a close, let’s take a look at their roster and evaluate the individuals and their fantasy worth.
James Harden, Shooting Guard
Harden ranked among the NBA’s elite fantasy performers for this season and there is every reason to expect the same from him looking forward to next year. Harden averaged a team-high 27.4 points, 7.0 assists, 5.7 rebounds per game 2.6 threes and 1.9 steals. He also had a whopping 8.8 free throw attempts this season. Keep in mind that every stat we just listed was a career-high for Harden. There aren’t many players in the NBA that could put up the averages that he did this season but with the environment virtually staying the same or slightly improving next season, there’s no reason to expect a huge drop-off.
Josh Smith, Power Forward
This might seem like an unlikely No. 2 on this list from a fantasy perspective but when you consider Smith’s insertion as a starter in the playoffs combined with the fact that he was healthy all year, it seem much more likely that he will be the second-best fantasy performer on Houston’s roster next season. Smith averaged 13.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 threes and 1.0 blocks per game for the Rockets in the playoffs. Yes, he’s going to have some bad shooting nights and he’ll hurt your field goal percentage, but if he can carry over those playoff averages to next regular season, he will be worthy of this spot on the list.
Trevor Ariza, Small Forward
Parsons who? Ariza, Parsons’ replacement, was one of the underrated fantasy performers of the year on Houston’s roster as he averaged 12.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Ariza was also a decent option for steals at 1.9 per game and he also added 2.4 three-pointers. Factor in that he should grow even more comfortable with his Rockets’ teammates after gaining a full year of experience and he is right there with Smith as one of the top fantasy options for Houston behind Harden.
Dwight Howard, Center
Only Harden averaged more than the 15.8 points per game that Howard had for the Rockets this year and he was the only player on the roster that averaged double-digit rebounding totals with 10.5 per game. However, we all know this story. The biggest issue for the veteran big man has been his inability to stay healthy. Howard played in only 41 games for Houston this season and remember that he missed 11 games in 2013-14 and 28 games in the 2011-12 season. With another season of wear and tear, don’t expect Howard to last you a full season. He’s the Rockets second-best fantasy option when healthy but fantasy GM’s can’t rely on him consistently being in the lineup any longer.
Donatas Motiejunas, Power Forward
Motiejunas filled in admirably when Howard was injured and he finished the season having started 62 games. The young forward averaged 12.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He also chips in for steals, blocks and threes. The potential is there for his totals to climb again with another year of experience and while he’s competing for minutes with Terrence Jones, it doesn’t look like the team believes Jones is much more than a bench guy.
Patrick Beverley, Point Guard
Beverley’s absence really hurt Houston in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors where they really missed him as a menace to opposing guards. Beverley will return next season and he will look to build on his numbers for this year after he averaged 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.1 threes and 1.1 steals per game this season. The threes, assists and rebounds were all new career highs for him but he needs to find a way to stay healthy. In three years, he’s never played more than 55 games in a seasons.
