Houston Rockets Need Another Core Piece

As things stand right now, the Houston Rockets are currently 11-13 and have put themselves very much in the discussion for the playoffs early on in the year. It will be a very up-and-down season for this team, especially if they continue to deal with key injuries, but they have a chance to sneak into the playoffs with the roster they have. 

The only problem though is that it seems like this team is missing something. They have tried to mask up the fact that their bench is very weak by loading up their starting rotation and if this is the plan moving forward, they need to go all-out and bring in another high-level talent for their starting rotation. 

The Rockets’ bench currently ranks 28th in the league in scoring and have not been very productive this year. Houston currently has four players averaging in double-figures and all of these guys are in their starting five. 

If the Rockets are not going to look to add depth for their bench near the NBA trade deadline, then going after a guy like Julius Randle makes total sense because they will need to load up on their starting unit. Randle is not only a 20+ points, 10+ rebounds per night kind of big man, but he is an overall playmaker and facilitator. 

He is a big man who can bring the ball up the floor and make plays for his teammates, which is why he would be a great fit in Houston. With other high-level talents in Wood, Oladipo, Wall and Gordan, Julius Randle would not only have reliable options to pass to in the starting rotation, but he would be able to do his own thing and take over games in the second and third rotations. 

This team is missing that one playmaker and scorer to put them over the top and Julius Randle is that guy. If they could somehow pull off a trade for him, then the Rockets would definitely be in the playoffs this year in a loaded Western Conference.