Ethan officially responded to not renewing his contract in advance: he hopes to stay with the Rockets for a long time and looks forward to playing a more important role in the new season.

On October 22, the new NBA regular season officially kicked off. Rockets player Ethan was interviewed. He talked about his failure to renew his contract with the Rockets in advance. He expressed hope that he can stay in Houston and is eager to play a more important role in the new season.

The Rockets and Ethan failed to reach an early contract extension agreement. The two sides failed to reach an agreement on multiple aspects of their differences before the deadline. Ethan will become a restricted free agent in next year's offseason. According to reports, both parties put in a lot of effort in the process, but ultimately failed to reach an agreement.

Ethan expressed his understanding of this: "This is business, that's it." When asked if he wanted to stay with the Rockets in the 2025-26 season, Ethan replied: "Of course, I was selected by the Rockets. This is my home. They put I brought it here. Houston has always been my home, and I have my family here."

Eason also expressed his hope to "play a more important role" this season, and the freedom gained in the preseason has given him more confidence. Ethan said: "No matter what the team's plan is for me, I have seen more possibilities to create opportunities for the team in the preseason. This is all I am pursuing - an opportunity. I think they have given me this platform."

Ethan is 24 years old and was selected with the 17th overall pick in the first round of 2022. In his rookie season, he was selected to the second team of the All-Rookie Team. Last season, he played 57 times for the Rockets, including 16 starts. He averaged 24.9 minutes per game, scoring 12 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks. He shot 48.7% from the field and 34.2% from three-point range. Many of his statistics set new career highs.

Do you think Ethan can become a part of the Rockets' championship run in the future? Welcome to give your opinions in the comment area.