The Houston Rockets showed plenty of growth last season. Despite having a very young roster, they won 52 regular-season games and claimed the second seed in the Western Conference.
However, their inexperience, not to mention their lack of shot-making when the pace slows down, cost them in the playoffs. They ended up losing in the first round to Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and they scored no more than 93 points in three of their four losses during that series.
But just weeks later, the Rockets rocked the NBA by landing future Hall of Fame forward Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns. They also added veteran 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith and veteran center Clint Capela, and many feel they have a real shot at winning it all.
Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report recently did an article in which he gave the over/under and predicted win totals of all 30 NBA teams. The Rockets’ over/under was listed at 55.5 wins, and Bailey projected them to have a 52-30 record once again.
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“It may seem silly to have the Houston Rockets winning the same number of games they did in 2024-25,” Bailey wrote.
“… In this Western Conference, though, getting any number of wins over 50 is going to be tough. And the Rockets presumed leading scorer, Durant, turns 37 in September. He played 75 games in 2023-24, but he’s averaged just under 55 over the half-decade since returning from his ruptured Achilles.
“That and a lack of high-end offensive creation beyond KD could limit Houston’s chances of hitting a very high over-under.”
Durant is still either in his prime or close to it. He averaged 26.6 points on 52.7% overall shooting and 43% from 3-point range last season, and he appeared in 62 games after playing in 75 games during the previous season.
But as Bailey noted, Houston lacks other players who can create and hit their own shot in a halfcourt setting. Center Alperen Sengun put up 19.1 points per game and made his first All-Star game this past season, but the rest of the team’s roster is lacking in the shot creation category.
Houston was heavily dependent on its defense to create fast-break scores during the 2024-25 campaign. When it faces an excellent defensive team come playoff time, there could be too much pressure on the greybearded Durant to bail out his mates.
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The could also be plenty of pressure on Amen Thompson to develop. Thompson, who averaged 14.1 points per game last season, is thought to perhaps have some star potential, and if he busts out this fall and winter, it would greatly raise the Rockets’ potential.
If not, they, not to mention Durant, could be facing another early playoff exit.
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