The NBA-worst Houston Rockets are 1-15 and have lost 14 games in a row.
Stephen Silas, the son of three-time NBA champion Paul Silas, is in his second season with the lowly Rockets.
In his first year with Houston (the 2020-21 season), he “survived” the James Harden saga.
After eight games of drama surrounding the disgruntled star, Silas had to coach the next generation of the Rockets.
They finished the season 17-55, the worst record in the NBA.
Unfortunately, they did not win the 2021 NBA draft lottery but did get the second overall selection.
The Rockets selected Jalen Green, who has a bright future in the NBA.
He is averaging 14.5 points per game, but he does have a lot of room for improvement with his shooting.
He a part of a very weak offense.
The Rockets’ offensive rating is dead last in the NBA.
Their latest loss was by seven points, which broke a four-game streak of double-digit losses:
Final in New York. pic.twitter.com/upu1WlXEO6
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) November 21, 2021
Houston entered the fourth quarter of Saturday’s loss with the lead, but the Rockets could not get past the New York Knicks.
The Rockets, who do not have much depth, continue to wait for the return of Kevin Porter Jr. (thigh), who has missed the last two games.
Will Silas be coaching this team when Porter returns to the floor?
Stephen Silas Should Be On The Hot Seat
Silas and the Rockets have shown very little promise thus far this season.
They have already lost 11 games by double digits.
Of those 11 losses, the Rockets lost three of the contests by more than 25 points.
Of those three blowout losses, two of them happened recently: November 14 and 15.
There does not seem to be much improvement for this Rockets team.
When the Rockets played Oklahoma City last week, they were facing the only team that they had beat this season:
Houston’s one victory of the season was on October 22, 2021, at home: Rockets 124, Thunder 91.
At that time, the Rockets moved to 1-1 and the Thunder to 0-2.
Well, times have changed.
With the loss to the 6-8 Thunder, Houston moved to 1-14:
The Rockets are 1-14.
On pace to finish the season 5-77, which will by far be the worst single-season record of all time.
They are currently playing without a point guard and are paying John Wall $44 million to not play this season. pic.twitter.com/OpxCcZrmwz
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 18, 2021
This team could not even lose by single digits to Oklahoma City.
There does not seem to be much hope for the Rockets.
The Rockets may need to fire Silas.
Stephen Silas Should Not Be On The Hot Seat
On the other hand, Silas was thrust into a situation where he has had very little talent.
Let us take a look back at Silas’ history with the team:
- October 30, 2020: Silas hired by the Rockets
- December 2, 2020: Rockets trade Russell Westbrook for John Wall and a 2023 lottery-protected first-round pick
- January 13, 2021: Rockets trade James Harden in a four-team trade
So, Silas had Westbrook and Harden, and now, here is what Silas has on his roster (in order of 2021-22 points per game):
- Christian Wood, 16.2
- Jalen Green, 14.5
- Eric Gordon, 13.4
- Kevin Porter Jr., 12.7
- Jae’Sean Tate, 11.4
Those five Rockets are the players averaging double digits on the team this year.
Wood is down five points from his 21 points per game average last year, and you may notice Wall is not on the list.
He may not play all season.
There is a lot of this Houston situation that is not Silas’ fault.
The Verdict
Can a shakeup at the head coach position help Houston this season?
The change will not make too much of a difference.
So, should the Rockets keep Silas for the rebuild?
That seems to be the best move for now.
His seat should not be too hot at the moment, but it most likely is.
NEXT: 3 Teams That Should Trade For John Wall
