Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka faced something of a rotation crunch in 2023-24 as a collection of young players and a smattering of veterans jockeyed for minutes. Udoka faces a greater challenge in that regard ahead of his second season in Houston.
The young "Core 6" of former first-round picks grew to a "Core 7" with the addition of Reed Sheppard in last week's NBA draft. Veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks are guaranteed a significant share of minutes, and center Steven Adams should get some run in the frontcourt if he's healthy following last October's knee surgery.