Rockets 2025-26 Season Preview: 5 Keys to Success

The Rockets are considered one of the more intriguing teams in the NBA this season, so much so that they drew the opening night national TV game against the champion Thunder back on the NBC network for the first time in two decades.

After a 52-win season and a massive trade for Kevin Durant in the offseason, this remains an exciting roster balanced between experienced veterans and young, up-and-coming talent. But the Western Conference is loaded with good teams and it will be tough to replicate the successful upward trajectory of the last few seasons.

Still, there is a lot to be excited about if you are a Rockets fan. Here are five keys to success this season.

Bring back the defense.

The Rockets were on of the best two or three teams in the NBA on defense last year. They expect to pick up right where they left off, which will be critical not only in the long haul, but also early on while they adjust to their new roster additions. With Durant, they get another solid defensive big to go with Jabari Smith, Jr. and Steven Adams, who draws the opening night start in the double-big lineup.

Amen Thompson, who is likely to play mostly at point this year, was named to the NBA All-Defense First Team last season and should be able to lock up virtually any opposing player. They also have guys like Clint Capela, Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith, one of the league’s better wing defenders, coming off the bench. The key will be to find balance between tenacious on-the-ball defense and solid team defense to protect Reed Sheppard and the double-big zone the Rockets are going to employ often.

Keep the turnovers low.

One of the biggest losses came one week before the opening of training camp when Fred VanVleet tore his ACL. He will likely miss the entire season and while he never filled up the box score, he was the team’s leader on the floor. He also sported one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the NBA, allowing a trusted ball handler to manage the game in difficult situations.

Without VanVleet, it will be on Thompson and Sheppard as well as Alperen Sengun and Durant to guide the offense and protect the basketball, something the Rockets did better than just about any team in the NBA last season.

Shoot better.

Despite some serious shooting struggles last season, the Rockets managed to finish in the top half of the league in offensive rating thanks to limited turnovers and the best offensive rebounding squad in basketball. If they want to take the next step, they have got to make more shots, especially from beyond the three-point line.

Durant should be a huge help in that regard, but it will be on players like Smith, Sheppard, Finney-Smith and Eason to hit open shots. Both Thompson and Sengun worked to improve their distance shooting in the offseason, but the Rockets won’t be relying on them to fill it up from deep. A combination of good midrange shots, quality threes and plenty of scoring in the paint is the recipe for winning for the Rockets. Part of that calculus is better shooting percentages on the whole. Oh, and they cannot be in the bottom third in free throw shooting this year either.

See improvements from key young players.

Perhaps the biggest name on this list is Sheppard, who is going to have an outsized role thanks to VanVleet’s injury. If he can go from struggling rookie to a solid sophomore season, it will go a long way towards the Rockets win column totals. But, besides Sheppard, we could see Thompson emerge as one of the best youngsters in the league while Smith tries to improve his ball handling, which was virtually non existent last season.

Any improvements from the cadre of young players on this team will certainly inch them closer to where they want to be, which is in contention for a title. If even a couple of them move from good to great or solid to good, it will make everything easier for stars like Durant and Sengun, who will still probably carry the heaviest load offensively.

Stay healthy.

This could be on every team’s list every year, but it’s particularly noteworthy for a team that has Durant on the roster. Undoubtedly, Coach Ime Udoka will rest KD as much as possible throughout the season, and a few absences with minor injuries should be expected. But for this team to reach its ultimate potential, they cannot sustain any more significant injuries. Losing VanVleet will be difficult enough to overcome.

SEASON PREDICTIONS

Record: 53-29

Finish: Top 5 in the West, win in the first round of the playoffs

MVP: Amen Thompson

Most Improved: Tari Eason

The post Rockets 2025-26 Season Preview: 5 Keys to Success appeared first on Houston Press.