On January 18th, Beijing time, the NBA officially released the last two minutes of the referee's report for the Rockets vs Kings game. The league wanted everyone to know that Dillon's two fouls were not unjustly called, and the Rockets did not get cheated in this game. Prior to this, the Rockets had been cheated twice. After losing this game, the Rockets' record stands at 27 wins and 13 losses, continuing to rank second in the West.
In the first 40 games, the Rockets have achieved a record of 27 wins and 13 losses, which is the best performance in the past seven years. The last time they had a better record was in the 17-18 season with 29 wins and 11 losses, which was the team that almost defeated the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. That year, if Paul hadn't been injured, the Rockets would likely have been the champions.
Since entering 2025, the new three giants of the Rockets have begun to take shape. Jalen Green averages 30.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists with a true shooting percentage of 67.2%; Shen Jing averages 20.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.1 steals; Amen averages 17.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.2 steals. These three players have all performed exceptionally well since January.
Moreover, Green is only 22 years old, Shen Jing is also 22 years old, and Amen is just 21 years old. It must be said that the Rockets have a promising future.
The Houston media also wrote that it is unreasonable for the Rockets to accumulate so much talent in just three short years: Shen Jing, Green, Little Jabari, Ethan, Amen, Whitmore, and Shepherd.
It is worth noting that Shen Jing has risen from tenth to eighth in the NBA's official MVP rankings, and he has become the backbone of the Houston Rockets.
This season, only Shen Jing has achieved 750 points + 400 rebounds + 200 assists + 30 blocks (Jokic falls short in blocks), and he is only 22 years old.
Shen Jing still ranks sixth among Western frontcourt players in the second round of All-Star voting, and his abilities are already among the top in the league.
NBA journalist Jimmy Spencer bluntly stated: "Shen Jing is one of my top three favorite players in the NBA."
Written by Yan Xiaobai: Rocket Watch