The Rockets won 52 games in the regular season (the same as the 2024-25 season) and pushed the Lakers to six games in the first round of the playoffs. But, for the second straight year they got bounced in the opening round of the postseason, this time by a team missing its best player.
There will be plenty of time for a detailed postmortem for this season (look for that later this week) and a look ahead to the offseason, but it’s worth looking back briefly at the short run for the Rockets this postseason.
Two Injured Teams
This was a matchup of hospital wards. Kevin Durant played one game. Austin Reaves played two. Luka Doncic, Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams played none. Going into this round, the fact that Reaves was going to miss a few games and Doncic the entire series made it seem advantage Rockets. But losing Durant was too much for the Rockets to overcome.
It could be argued that while they weren’t the Rockets best players, VanVleet and Adams might be their most important given the roles they play. The Lakers still had LeBron James and, in the end, that was plenty.
The Rockets Have Real Scoring Problems
Even if they run it back with a healthy roster next season (that’s a huge if given Durant and Adams’ injury histories), this is a team that simply cannot score. They bog down too easily on offense and rely way too heavily on offensive rebounding and running the floor. They also put too much on the shoulders of a 37-year-old veteran.
VanVleet and Adams will help, as will the improvements from Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith, Jr., and Tari Eason (if they can bring him back pending restricted free agency), but it won’t be enough. This roster is long on defense and athletes, but incredibly short on scorers. That is something they must address in the offseason because it was on full display against the Lakers.
The Comeback Was Important
Down 0-3, there was essentially a zero percent chance they win the series. No one has ever done it in NBA history. But battling back to force a Game 6 without the services of Durant said something about Ime Udoka’s team. They were far from perfect, but they turned what could have been a complete destruction into a tough series.
After Game 3, the Rockets looked broken. The rumors of KD’s burner account on X and the locker room discontent began reemerging. That may still be a problem going forward, but they laid it aside for a couple games and fought together. That is important.
It Would Not Have Mattered Anyway
Listen, whatever you think about the Rockets (or the Lakers), no one is getting past the absolute buzzsaw in Oklahoma City, which is who LA will face in round two. Vaya con dios.
