Danielle Lerner

Houston

Sports Enterprise Reporter at Houston Chronicle

Sports enterprise reporter @HoustonChron. Past: @dailymemphian, @TheAthleticCBB, @courierjournal. #MizzouMade 🏳️‍🌈 Email: [email protected]

Articles

Rockets slip to No. 10 in NBA draft lottery but Mavericks, Spurs get top picks

2 days ago | houstonchronicle.com | Danielle Lerner

The Houston Rockets hold the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA draft after Monday night’s draft lottery in Chicago. The Rockets’ pick was previously projected to be ninth overall, but fell one spot after the Dallas Mavericks moved up to the No. 1 slot via the random drawing. Houston’s lottery pick originally belonged to the Phoenix Suns, who won a coin flip tiebreaker with Portland after both finished the regular season with the league’s ninth-worst record.
How to watch 2025 NBA draft lottery and what to know about Rockets

5 days ago | houstonchronicle.com | Danielle Lerner

The Houston Rockets are guaranteed a 2025 lottery pick, thanks to an assets trade with the Brooklyn Nets last offseason that gave the Rockets the Phoenix Suns’ unprotected first-round pick. What to know about this year's lottery:When is the lotteryWhen: 6 p.m. Monday May 12TV: ESPNWhere: McCormick Place Convention Center, ChicagoArticle continues below this adThe basicsThe lottery is used to select the first four picks in the NBA draft.
Where do Reed Sheppard, Cam Whitmore fit in the Rockets' plans?

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Danielle Lerner

The Houston Rockets made it back to the NBA playoffs this season for the first time during their rebuild, and although the postseason run ended with a disappointing first-round loss, Rockets GM Rafael Stone said Tuesday that he thinks the team is on a “very solid trajectory.” This offseason will determine which players continue to be part of that trajectory as the Rockets weigh upgrading the roster via an offseason trade versus doubling down on developing the young core they already have in...
'One playoff series doesn't define a player.' Rockets' brass on Jalen Green

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Danielle Lerner

In Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green’s fourth NBA regular season, the former No. 2 draft pick played like the franchise player the team hoped he would become. Seven postseason games called it into question.
How do Houston Rockets take next step in NBA: continuity or change?

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Danielle Lerner

One year ago, the Houston Rockets’ rebuild shifted from a reformation to revitalization. After years of drafting young players and cycling through batches of complimentary veterans, the Rockets’ evolution back into a playoff contender this season occurred immediately after a standstill summer. The Rockets didn’t make any major roster additions between coach Ime Udoka’s first season and his second.
Fred VanVleet's future among the burning questions for Rockets' 2025 offseason

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Danielle Lerner

The curtains only just closed on the Houston Rockets’ 2024-25 NBA season, but the team’s first-round playoff loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday officially commenced an intriguing offseason. The Rockets kept their roster intact at the trade deadline this season en route to earning a playoff berth as the West’s No. 2 seed — but change could be afoot this summer.
A resurgent Houston Rockets season ends in Game 7 loss to Warriors

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Danielle Lerner

After games, Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka enters the locker room with a pointed message to deliver. Sometimes, but not always, he shows his team clips of moments from the game he considers to be most impactful. He never minces words. On Sunday, when he entered a room steeped in hurt following the Rockets’ 4-3 first-round playoff series loss to the Golden State Warriors, he dispensed with visual aids and balanced his trademark frankness with perspective.
Live updates: Follow Game 7 of Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors here

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Danielle Lerner

The No. 2 Houston Rockets and No. 7 Golden State Warriors square off in a winner-takes-all Game 7 on Sunday at Toyota Center to wrap up their first-round NBA playoff series. The winner of Sunday's game advances to the Western Conference semifinals to face the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves, who took down the No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, 4-1. Check back here throughout the day for pregame, in-game and postgame updates from the Houston Chronicle.
Rockets' zone defense could be knockout punch in Game 7 vs. Warriors

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Danielle Lerner

SAN FRANCISCO — Basketball is a game of constant movement, a chess match of dribble handoffs and screens all designed to create the most favorable matchups and ultimately get the best possible shot. Within that perpetual motion is the occasional immovable, unstoppable force — like Houston Rockets center Steven Adams. A piano-mover of a man standing 6-foot-11 with strength to match stature, he’s been known to pick up basketballs with an opposing player still attached.
Fred VanVleet's big night helps send Rockets-Warriors series to Game 7

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Danielle Lerner

SAN FRANCISCO — Highly regarded as he is for his nine seasons of NBA experience and exceptional court vision, Fred VanVleet cannot predict the future. The point guard didn’t have a crystal ball when he signed a free-agent contract with the Rockets in the summer of 2023; though he wanted to believe in what coach Ime Udoka and general manager Rafael Stone were building in Houston, he couldn’t immediately see it himself. He saw a young, raw group of players who until that point had lacked direction.