3 Keys for Houston Rockets to Keep Winning

The Houston Rockets have seemingly turned themselves around, going on a 3-0 run after losing the first three. After losing the first three games by a total of 45 points, Houston has posted a +52 point differential in the last three contests.

The young team is learning a key lesson: basketball is fun, but it’s a lot more fun when you’re winning. They’re playing with a new fire. They’ve bought into the toughness that Dillon Brooks and Ime Udoka bring to the franchise.

The Rockets have looked like a playoff team recently, and with the Oklahoma City Thunder owning their draft pick in 2024, getting to the playoffs is Houston’s only option. To do that, the Rockets need to keep winning. Fortunately, they’re trending up and have laid the blueprint for success.

Through three wins, the Rockets have showcased three ways for them to keep adding to the wins column and moving forward these will be the keys to success.

Jabari Smith Jr. needs to be an offensive factor. In the first three games, Jabari Smith Jr. averaged only 11.3 points on abysmal shooting. He was such a black hole on offense that I called for him to see some pressure from the organization that drafted him third overall in 2022.

Since then, he’s found his footing. In the last three games, his three-point percentage has jumped from 22.0 percent to 56.0 percent on the same amount of attempts. His inside scoring is also up, and he is averaging 17.0 points. Smith needs to be a positive on offense, and he’s playing like the player advertised when he was drafted.

The Rockets need to keep crashing the boards. In the first three games, Houston averaged 38.6 rebounds. They were dead last in the league. But since the start of their three-game winning streak, they have averaged 43.3 rebounds. That’s not exactly world-beating, but it is 18th in the league, a drastic improvement. During their three wins, they have only been outrebounded once, 44-38, in their victory over the Hornets.

A big part of their rebounding effort has been Dillon Brooks, who started the season grabbing 3.3 rebounds per game. Since then, he’s posted an average of six per game, almost double his previous average. Throughout his career, Brooks averages 3.1 rebounds and has never posted more than four throughout a season, so it’s unlikely he will keep this pace. That means rebounding will have to be a team effort moving forward.

The Rockets need to keep making threes. Since the Rockets have started winning, they have shot 47 of 109 from deep, good for 43.0 percent. They would lead the league pretty easily, except they started the year 29 of 99, or only 29 percent from deep, which was dead last in the league. Seeing a team go from worst to first while increasing their volume is a rarity, and Houston needs to at least find a middle ground while continuing to take a decent number of shots.

The Rockets, at best, will probably be a .500 team this season. They’re on a tear right now and will regress to the mean at some point, but if they can keep elements of their success as the season goes on, Houston won’t be an easy win for everyone in the league.

The Rockets face off against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight at home. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. C