In this edition of “Road to Relevance,” I’ll be taking a look at the NBA team that finished the 2021-21 season with the second-worst record in the league - the Houston Rockets. How did a franchise that spent the better part of the 2010s competing for supremacy in the loaded Western Conference fall so far from grace?

The simple answer for the reasoning behind the Rockets’ abysmal season, in which they finished with a 17-55 record, is the impact that injuries had on the team. Through the shortened 72-game season, the Rockets had only two players suit up for more than 50 of their contests: Jae’Sean Tate and Sterling Brown played 70 and 51 games respectively. 

After the partnership of James Harden and Russell Westbrook failed to lift the Rockets over the hump when they were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals, an unhappy Westbrook was dealt to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall and a protected 2023 first-round draft pick. Wall, a five-time All-Star who had sat out the previous season in entirety due to various ailments, was reunited with his former University of Kentucky teammate DeMarcus Cousins. Another former star who had been hampered by injuries in the latter part of his career, Cousins was signed by the Rockets just one day before the announcement of the trade with Washington.

Despite the growing agitation of Harden, the team hoped its revamped core could impress, but after starting the season 3-6, Harden’s requests for a trade were finally answered as he was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets. The four-team trade also involved the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers, as the Rockets brought in a haul of draft assets and young players, most notably Victor Oladipo. 

Oladipo was yet another player who looked to have a promising career ahead of him but had dealt with serious injury concerns in recent seasons, having played just 64 games over his previous three campaigns in Indiana. After just 20 games with the Rockets, Oladipo was once again traded, this time going to the Miami Heat in exchange for Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and a swap of draft picks in Houston’s favor.

Following the departure of the Rockets’ biggest star of the previous decade in Harden, the team did manage to put together a six-game winning streak, giving them a record of 10-9 and raising their winning percentage above .500 for the first time of the season. Things quickly turned ugly, though, as just three games later they embarked on a losing streak that stretched for 20 games. Through 72 games, the Rockets held their opponents to under 100 points just five times.

With the unmitigated disaster of a season behind them, the Rockets will likely turn to the draft to bolster their injury-laden and talent-deprived roster. Houston will keep their pick in the draft so long as the draft lottery gives them one of the draft’s first four selections; otherwise, the pick will be sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a three-team protected pick swap also involving the Heat. They also have possession of non-lottery picks originally from the Milwaukee Bucks and the Portland Trail Blazers. 

While the floundering Rockets should focus on drafting the best player available, they might also consider the most obvious holes in their rotation. The player who should be considered the future of the team is 25-year-old center Christian Wood, who averaged 21 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game in his 41 starts with Houston. At shooting guard, sophomore Kevin Porter Jr. netted 16 points and six assists per game despite playing just 26 times. 

Despite being ruled out for the final month of the season with injury, Wall performed well in his 40 contests, averaging over 20 points per game. Tate and Kenyon Martin Jr. rounded out Houston’s wing rotation, as both young players saw significant time on the floor, while 24-year-old Khyri Thomas showed impressive scoring ability in just five games with Houston.

With all of that being said, the Rockets hold a 14 percent chance of landing the draft’s first pick, and in that scenario the consensus No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham will be the obvious choice. Outside of Wall, the Rockets’ only rostered point guard is veteran journeyman D.J. Augustin, which gives Houston enough flexibility at the position to play Cunningham significant minutes right away, with the ability to start him in Wall’s place if injuries continue to plague the 30-year-old. 

Gonzaga University’s Jalen Suggs would also be a welcome addition to the team at point guard, while other expected top-five picks such as USC’s Evan Mobley, the G League’s Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga might have a more difficult time developing in Houston at crowded positions. Additionally, tanking should not be a priority for the Rockets considering the wealth of future draft picks accumulated through the trading of their star players, so working to build a winning team by drafting based on positional needs should be the organization’s current goal.

With both a first-year head coach and general manager in Stephen Silas and Rafael Stone respectively, the Rockets’ payroll heading into this offseason will be the league’s eleventh-lowest and considering that the biggest name departing from the team will be Olynyk, they should have plenty of money to work with if they want to make a splash in free agency. 

While their draft assets do not make free agency a necessary path toward contention, refining their roster with smart signings could help the team become more competitive next year. Despite the extreme drop-off in winning percentage that the Rockets were faced with this season, a premier draft selection and savvy free agency moves could set them up to return to the playoff picture as soon as next season.