The Houston Rockets have turned the page on their 2025-26 campaign after an up-and-down season. The Rockets made the biggest move of the 2025 offseason when they traded for future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant, hoping he would be the missing piece in their championship hopes.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, those plans were derailed before they even started, as Fred VanVleet, the Rockets’ on- and off-court leader, had his season ended before it started when he suffered a season-ending injury during an offseason
workout. The Rockets spent the entire season trying to make up for the absence as they struggled at times to build any consistency throughout the season.
Despite those struggles, the Rockets won 52 games, the same mark as the season before. Like the season before, the Rockets saw their season end in the first round—this time at the hands of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Rockets now head into season two of the Kevin Durant era and hope to do it with a fully healthy team. VanVleet wasn’t the only Rocket who missed significant time last season, as the Rockets’ best rebounder and screen setter, Steven Adams, suffered a season-ending injury in January.
That made an already short-handed Rockets bench even thinner and played a huge part in the Rockets’ early playoff exit. The Rockets didn’t make any big offseason splashes this time around, but they are banking on a healthy VanVleet, and Adams will be exactly what they need to get over the hump this season finally. That said, what three things must happen for the Rockets to have a successful season?
Three things the Rockets must do this season to take that next step
The Rockets performed well in some areas last season. They were again the NBA’s best rebounding team, as they have been for the last few seasons. They were also a top-10 defense all season. Despite those stats, the Rockets still did not finish in the top four in the Western Conference. The Rockets must improve in several areas this upcoming season. Here are the three areas the Rockets must change or improve.
Limit Kevin Durant’s Minutes
Last season, with VanVleet out, the Rockets leaned heavily on the remaining starters, especially Durant. The Rockets, of course, plan on leaning on Durant, considering that even at the age of 36 at the time, Durant is still one of the best players in the league. However, without a traditional point guard, the Rockets had to rely on Alperen Sengun and Durant to not only be their leading scorer but also their point guard at times.
That led to Durant playing not only the second most minutes on the Rockets but in the entire NBA. It was the most total minutes Durant had played since the 2013-14 season. Ime Udoka spoke for most of the season about hoping to limit the former MVP’s minutes but was not able to for obvious reasons. Now the Rockets must limit Durant’s minutes, as they need him as healthy as possible going into the playoffs, unlike last season.
More production from their bench
As mentioned earlier, the Rockets are hoping for a much improved bench this upcoming season. With VanVleet out and eventually Adams gone, players like Reed Sheppard and, at times, Tari Eason had to enter the starting lineup. That severely limited bench production, which led the Rockets to rank last in points per game by a wide margin. The Rockets averaged only 27.6 points per game from their reserves.
The Rockets hope the return of Adams and VanVleet, along with the additions of Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanović, means they will not have to rely so heavily on their starters again this season.
Cut down their turnovers
One of the main reasons the Rockets brought in VanVleet was how much they struggled with turnovers. VanVleet’s first season saw the Rockets have one of their best seasons taking care of the basketball in franchise history. That wasn’t the case last season, as the Rockets ranked near the bottom of the league in turnovers.
The Rockets’ lack of ball security hurt them most late in close games, when teams pressured them full court and forced errors that cost them several games. The most egregious of those turnovers happened at the worst time in a must-win playoff game at home vs. the Lakers.
With the Rockets holding a late lead, LeBron James pressured Reed Sheppard, forcing the turnover that helped the Lakers force an improbable overtime, which the Rockets would go on to lose. That play was a microcosm of the Rockets’ ball security issues all season. To get past the first round, the Rockets must take care of the basketball, and VanVleet’s return should go a long way toward reducing turnovers.
The Rockets kick off training camp starting on the 23rd of this month and hope to lay the groundwork for a successful 2026-27 season, but they must improve in these three areas for that to happen.
