The Houston Rockets won their seventh straight game on Wednesday night, Dec. 9, defeating the Eastern-leading Brooklyn Nets 114-104.
Second year head coach Stephen Silas has already navigated a 15-game losing streak this season, and now the Rockets are the first team in NBA history to go on a seven-game win streak following a 15-game losing streak.
Silas spent 20 seasons as an assistant coach in the league, and his stint as a head coach began in less than ideal circumstances when his franchise player, James Harden, demanded a trade and forced his way out of town.
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Since then the Rockets landed Jalen Green with the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, and are in full rebuild mode. But Silas has this team playing well, and he’s showing his coaching chops.
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During the midst of the losing streak there were reports that Silas was on the hot seat less than two seasons into his tenure. Via the “Locked on Rockets” podcast, Silas wasn’t concerned.
“I don’t need, like, approval. I believe in what I do. I think I’m good at it. The players respond when I challenge them or coach them. Whether we won or lost tonight, I’m the same coach.”
The Rockets are still just 27th overall in adjusted net rating. But during the seven-game win streak, the Rockets are third in offensive rating and sixth in net rating. Whether that’s sustainable remains to be seen, but they are showing signs of improvement.
It’s worth noting the win streak coincides with the injury to Green. This isn’t to say that Green was the reason for the 15-game losing streak. But rookies rarely contribute positively, especially at point guard. Green is a -5.2 in estimated plus-minus.
Silas’ work with players like Jae’Sean Tate, Josh Christopher, Kevin Porter Jr., and Christian Wood has been a huge part of their improvement.
“He [Silas] wanted to focus on certain areas in my game, how we were gonna play this year and how he was changing up stuff,” Wood said. “I feel like last year, I was in more drop coverages, and I was playing the five. So this year, I’m switching more on-ball screens. I’m guarding one through five, and I think he has that ability to trust in me. Him just being able to watch me in workouts, shoot the ball, trying to get to the rim and working on different areas in my game.”
The atmosphere around the team is different thanks to the win streak, and Silas deserves tremendous credit for keeping the team together. It would’ve been very easy for the Rockets to drop the rope during the losing streak.
“The adversity that we went through prior to this point has made it even sweeter,” Silas said. “We’re feeling pretty good about ourselves.”
The NBA is full of hyper-competitive athletes, and most of these guys don’t know what sustained losing is like. They’ve been the best players on all their teams most of their lives. It’s hard to adjust to the realities of the league, where everyone is good.
Too early to make any grand proclamations about the win streak. But any talk about Silas not being a good enough coach should cease.
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