2021–22 Houston Rockets season
The 2021–22 NBA season is 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 will begin October 19, 2021 and will return to the typical 82-game schedule.[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 | 9–18 (.333) |
| Place | Division: 4th (Southwest) Conference: 13th (Western) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | AT&T SportsNet Southwest |
| Radio | Sportstalk 790 |
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Jalen Green | SG | G League Ignite (G League) | |
| 1 | 23 | Usman Garuba | PF/C | Real Madrid (Spain) | |
| 1 | 24 | Josh Christopher | SG | 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 Rockets' first time with a lottery pick since the 2012 NBA draft in which they selected Jeremy Lamb with the twelfth overall pick; and it was their first time with a top-4 pick since the 2002 NBA draft in which Houston selected Yao Ming with the first overall pick.
The Rockets traded two future first-round picks[lower-alpha 1] to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the draft rights to Alperen Şengün.[8]
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
Roster |
Standings
Division
| Southwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis Grizzlies | 17 | 11 | .607 | 6.0 | 11–6 | 6–5 | 3–2 | 28 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 14 | 13 | .519 | 8.5 | 7–6 | 7–7 | 7–2 | 27 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 10 | 16 | .385 | 12.0 | 6–8 | 4–8 | 1–3 | 26 |
| Houston Rockets | 9 | 18 | .333 | 13.5 | 7–6 | 2–12 | 1–3 | 27 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 8 | 21 | .276 | 15.5 | 4–9 | 4–12 | 2–4 | 29 |
Conference
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | Golden State Warriors * | 23 | 5 | .821 | – | 28 |
| 2 | Phoenix Suns | 22 | 5 | .815 | 0.5 | 27 |
| 3 | Utah Jazz * | 19 | 7 | .731 | 3.0 | 26 |
| 4 | Memphis Grizzlies * | 17 | 11 | .607 | 6.0 | 28 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Clippers | 16 | 12 | .571 | 7.0 | 28 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Lakers | 15 | 13 | .536 | 8.0 | 28 |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks | 14 | 13 | .519 | 8.5 | 27 |
| 8 | Denver Nuggets | 14 | 13 | .519 | 8.5 | 27 |
| 9 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 12 | 15 | .444 | 10.5 | 27 |
| 10 | Sacramento Kings | 11 | 17 | .393 | 12.0 | 28 |
| 11 | Portland Trail Blazers | 11 | 17 | .393 | 12.0 | 28 |
| 12 | San Antonio Spurs | 10 | 16 | .385 | 12.0 | 26 |
| 13 | Houston Rockets | 9 | 18 | .333 | 13.5 | 27 |
| 14 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 8 | 18 | .308 | 14.0 | 26 |
| 15 | New Orleans Pelicans | 8 | 21 | .276 | 15.5 | 29 |
Game log
Preseason
| 2021 preseason game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preseason: 1–3 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–2)
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| 2021–22 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
Transactions
Overview
| Players Added
Via draft Via trade Via free agency |
Players Lost
Via free agency Waived |
Trades
| July 30, 2021[9] | 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[10] | To Houston Rockets Sekou Doumbouya Unprotected 2024 second-round pick |
To Brooklyn Nets Cash considerations |
Re-signed
| Date | Player | Signed | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 9 | David Nwaba | 3 years, $15 million | [11] |
| August 27 | Armoni Brooks | 4 years, $7.2 million | [12] |
| September 6 | Anthony Lamb | Two-way contract | [13] |
| September 17 | Danté Exum | 3 years, $15 million | [14] |
Additions
| Date | Player | Contract Terms | Former team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 7 | Daniel Theis | 4 years, $36 million | Chicago Bulls | [15] |
| August 25 | Daishen Nix | 1 year, $925 thousand | NBA G League Ignite | [16] |
Subtractions
| Date | Player | Reason left | New team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 1 | Avery Bradley | Unrestricted free agent[lower-alpha 2] | Golden State Warriors | [17] |
| August 1 | D.J. Wilson | Unrestricted free agent[lower-alpha 3] | Oklahoma City Thunder | [18] |
| August 6 | Kelly Olynyk | Unrestricted free agent | Detroit Pistons | [19] |
| August 10 | Sterling Brown | Unrestricted free agent | Dallas Mavericks | [20] |
| September 24 | Matthew Hurt | Waived | Memphis Grizzlies | [21] |
| October 6 | Khyri Thomas | Waived | Bilbao Basket | [21] |
| October 7 | Sekou Doumbouya | Waived | Los Angeles Lakers | [22] |
| October 14 | Tyler Bey | Waived | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | [23] |
| October 16 | Dante Exum | Waived |
References
- "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". 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 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 2021-10-07.
- "Rockets Re-Sign David Nwaba". Houston Rockets. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
- 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 2021-09-26.
- "Houston Rockets announce signing of free agent guard Dante Exum". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
- "Rockets Acquire Daniel Theis". Houston Rockets. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
- "Rockets Sign Tyler Bey and Daishen Nix". Houston Rockets. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
- "Warriors Announce Roster for 2021-22 Training Camp, Fueled by Gatorade". Golden State Warriors. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
- "Thunder Adds Edwards and Wilson to Training Camp Roster". Oklahoma City Thunder. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
- "Detroit Pistons Sign Free Agents Kelly Olynyk, Trey Lyles and Restricted Free Agent Saben Lee". Detroit Pistons. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
- "SMU-ex Brown formally signs with Mavericks". The Official Home of the Dallas Mavericks. 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
- "NBA Player transactions". NBA Stats. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
- 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.
- 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.