Rockets vs. Bulls Post-Game 1/18/21

Oladipo Dazzles in Debut, But Bulls Out-Run Rockets, 125-120

Special Start.    Where’s Johnny?    Awaiting Full Artillery.

Victor Oladipo, the Rockets newest star, and possibly their best player, said he’s happy with the squad, and believes “special days” are ahead. For now, those days will have to wait. Despite a dazzling debut for the Rockets by Victor Oladipo, Houston fell short in Chicago, 125-120, and dropped to 4-8 on the season. After a torrid first quarter, which saw the Rockets score only 16 points and dig themselves a 12-point hole, Houston got back in the game. The combination of too much Zach LaVine and Lauri Maurkkenen for the Bulls, along with terrible rebounding and consistent turnover frequency for the Rockets kept Houston from capping their road trip with a win. LaVine led Chicago with 33 points, and Maurkkanen played Robin, chipping in with 18 points. If there’s a silver lining to be found in this loss, it’s Oladipo’s performance. In his first game with his new team, Victor scored 32 points on an efficient 13-for-23 shooting performance. Houston’s newest star also dished out 9 dimes, and grabbed 5 boards in his Rockets debut. Vic’s showing is a good sign for the future in Houston, at least for this season, but the Rockets really need to be at full-strength to have any shot at making noise in the playoffs. And that starts with John Wall.

Where’s John Wall. We know he’s been out with a mysterious knee injury. A wound that’s considered day-to-day, only until the weeks unravel, and a month goes by. Hopefully, Wall is on the verge of a return. The Rockets need a playmaker with Harden long gone to Brooklyn. John Wall showed signs earlier this season he can still handle the rock with the best in the world. However, Wall’s had a history with injuries. And the fact he’s missed this much time is a slightly concerning. Hopefully, it’s just a result of seeing too much action after being sidelined over two years due to injury, and his body needing time to adjust back to the “playing days” of the NBA regular season. Whatever it is, Houston needs their Wall, or this squad will have trouble even making the playoffs.

Along with their star point guard, the mischievous Danuel House has now missed the team’s last 8 games, who is self-isolating. It’s unknown whether his absence is related to the virus, or just to a man who’s slowly seemed to unravel in Houston. On social media, House has been promoting working on his rap album. Not a good sign for an NBA player in the midst of a season. Especially the only guy who was kicked out of Orlando’s bubble last season. His departure definitely made the Rockets worse on the court, and who knows, could’ve been the beginnings of Harden’s inkling to leave Houston. Regardless, the Rockets need to be at full-strength, desperately needing Wall back. With a roster 12-deep at the minimum, they can potentially do some unexpected damage this season. But, if they keep having multiple guys missing every game, it’s going to be hard making the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference, where the Rockets have already struggled, with a 4-8 record overall to start this season. Hopefully Houston gets back to full-strength quickly, or those special days Oladipo mentioned… could be further away than he thought.