If the Houston Rockets are done making splashy moves, then Marcus Smart is the bet they’re making on the margins.
That’s not nothing. But it also explains why plenty of fans are looking at this offseason and asking whether Houston has really done enough after a year that ended in frustration.
Smart is the headline addition unless something far bigger is still coming. The Rockets can sell the idea that running it back makes sense if they believe he fills the exact hole that hurt them when the season went sideways. Still, after the way Houston faded following a 21-10 start on New Year’s Day in New York City, it’s easy to wonder if this roster has enough to feel good about where it’ll be when 2027 rolls around.
The regular season finished with a 31-20 run, capped by a 9-1 stretch. But even that late surge came with an asterisk, since five of those wins were against tanking teams more interested in draft position than a strong finish.
Then came the playoffs, and the disappointment was loud. Houston drew a favorable first-round matchup against the Luka Doncic-less Lakers, the No. 4 seed that was still the underdog in the series, and still advanced in six after the Rockets dug themselves into an 0-3 hole.
The close-out game at Toyota Center was especially ugly. Houston got back to 3-2, then laid down in a season-low 78-point performance.
So yes, it made sense to expect the front office to chase more shot creation or shooting. Instead, the biggest move was Smart.
And the Rockets got a pretty direct look at what he can still bring in that Lakers series. Smart was a major reason L.A. pulled the upset, hitting 44 percent from 3-point range on 13-for-29 shooting while averaging 14.7 points and 5.5 assists. He defended, he moved the ball, he punished teams when they left him open, and he had two games with five steals plus four more with multiple blocks.
The catch is obvious: Houston shouldn’t expect him to log more than 35 minutes a night unless things go badly wrong. But that doesn’t make the signing small. Smart is coming in on a two-year, $13 million deal with a player option for Year 2, and that option is likely to matter only if he gets hurt or doesn’t play well enough to chase a better deal next summer.
There’s also a role question waiting for head coach Ime Udoka. Reed Sheppard stepped into Houston’s sixth-man spot in his second season, but Smart could push him down the pecking order if Udoka decides to use him in that reserve role. Tari Eason gives the Rockets another key bench piece, and the team has more than one player who can change a game with effort and edge alone.
Smart’s resume still carries real weight. He won Defensive Player of the Year in 2021-22, and even with the injuries piling up - he’s missed at least 20 games in each of the past four seasons - the series against the Lakers offered a reminder that he still has something left.
Udoka knows exactly what that looks like. He saw Smart at his best in Boston, where he was the defensive engine for a team that leaned on him for more than just stops.
The numbers around that award still tell you how rare Smart’s place is. He remains the last guard to win DPOY, the only guard to do it this century, and one of only five guards ever to take home the honor. Before Smart, the last guard to win it was Gary Payton in 1996 with the Seattle SuperSonics.
Houston could use that kind of edge now. Smart can help cover for Fred VanVleet if VanVleet isn’t ready to be a full-time contributor early in the season.
He should also take some pressure off Amen Thompson, who is only 23 and probably shouldn’t be asked to play 37 minutes a night for the long haul. And if Smart can still shoot and pass, he could pair with VanVleet to give Kevin Durant more veteran help on the perimeter, especially with another Finals-tested player in the mix.
That’s where the Rockets seem to be headed, even with all the chatter about a bigger reset. Alperen Sengun and Durant have both been mentioned in trade rumors, and a major shakeup can’t be ruled out. But the current read is that Houston is leaning toward adding Smart to a veteran group that includes Durant, VanVleet and Steven Adams, then hoping the health luck turns.
General manager Rafael Stone also brought in another guard over 30 in Bogdan Bogdanovic, and both players have dealt with injuries in recent seasons. Bogdanovic’s best years are clearly behind him, but Smart still has a case to make. He’s motivated, he’s returning to his home state for the first time as a pro, and he’s never had more success than he did with Udoka in Boston.
If there’s enough left in the tank, Smart could become Houston’s X-factor. If not, the Rockets may have to live with the uncomfortable feeling that this offseason’s biggest move ended up being the question mark itself.
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