This past 2023-24 season, the Rockets' rebuilding efforts paid off last season, and the team's performance was eye-catching. Under the leadership of new head coach Udoka, the Rockets have played in good spirits and made great progress in their results. This makes people particularly excited about the new season of the Rockets. As long as the Rockets management can make persistent efforts to strengthen the team, coupled with the continuous growth of the "six sons", the Rockets have a good chance to return to the playoff stage in the new season.
In this year's draft, the Rockets had another big success, selecting sharpshooter Reid Shepard with a scout and trading AJ Griffin from the Hawks for almost nothing, both of whom possess top-tier outside shooting ability to fill the Rockets' lack of projection. In addition, the Rockets also signed the undrafted Dante, a black, hard center that also gave the Rockets more rotation space on the inside. Overall, the Rockets had a good summer, and the work of the management was commendable.
However, the team has been hesitant to renew Jalen Green and Shin Kyung's contracts, and has encountered very big obstacles. Among the rookies in the same class of '21, Scottie Barnes has signed a max contract extension with the Raptors, and Cade Cunningham is also expected to get a max contract from the Pistons. However, the issue of Green and Shin Kyung's contract extensions has not moved for a long time. And for now, Rockets management is inclined not to offer Green and Shin Kyung a contract with a maximum salary. According to Rockets reporter Jonathan Feigen, the team is unlikely to offer Jalen Green and Shin Kyung a five-year, $225 million contract extension this offseason.
Jalen Green and Shin Kyung both have their final season left on their contracts, and both of them are eligible for early contract extensions with the Rockets this offseason. In the 2023-24 season, Green played in 82 regular season games, averaging 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 31.7 minutes per game, while Shin Jing played in 63 regular season games and averaged 32.4 minutes per game, scoring 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.2 steals. Jalen Green and Shin Kyung both have their final seasons left on their contracts, and according to the rules, they are both eligible to sign early contract extensions with the Rockets this offseason. However, they did not wait for the good news.
In fact, this is understandable, although Green has shown amazing talent on the offensive end, his defense and consistency still need to be improved, and his basketball IQ is also clearly lacking. As for Shin Kyung, his strength happens to be basketball IQ and excellent skills, but his physical fitness and confrontation ability are still far behind the NBA's top interior players. The obvious shortcomings of these two people make the team reluctant to give away a contract with a maximum salary. Moreover, judging from the performance of the two, they are not worthy of the maximum salary of more than 50 million per year.
The Rockets may choose to keep Shin Kyung and Green for another year to further observe their growth and potential. If they still don't show what it takes to be the team's cornerstone in the coming season, the Rockets may make the decision to break up the duo next summer. For Green and Shin, the next season will be a pivotal period in their careers. They need to play to the satisfaction of the Rockets in order to earn a contract that they are happy with. If it's still tepid, I'm afraid the rocket will lose patience. Let's see how things go!