Grading the Houston Rockets' 2025-26 NBA Season

After going 52-30 and making the playoffs for the first time since the James Harden era, excitement surrounded the Houston Rockets after acquiring Kevin Durant in a blockbuster offseason trade. In 2025, the organization began to move from a rebuild highlighted by youth, to a win-now attitude, signing veterans and banking on the development of the young core.

Fast forward to now, and that excitement doesn't quite resonate. The Rockets just suffered a disappointing first-round exit to the Los Angeles Lakers, who were playing without Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves (for most of the series).

Houston was without Durant for all but Game 2, but that doesn't take away from the frustration. Many believed this team was a title contender, or at least primed to get past the first round and play basketball into early May.

All things considered, many of the Rockets' flaws were out of the players' control. The concern started when Fred VanVleet went down with a torn ACL in September, leaving them hard-capped at the first apron without a true point guard. For the first portion of the season, their hands were tied.

This created a massive turnover problem for Houston. The team finished the regular season 27th in turnover percentage, averaging 15.4 per game. With a committee of Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Kevin Durant and others running the point, it was easy for opponents to play aggressively early in the half-court and double-team stars, forcing bad passes or chaotic offense.

At the trade deadline, the Rockets had the opportunity to fix said issue with a plethora of point guards available. This was the front office's chance to salvage Durant's first season in Houston. The Rockets shockingly ended up being one of just three teams to not make a single trade.

As many predicted, these issues on the offensive end carried over into the playoffs. Even without Dončić and Reaves, the Lakers outscored the Rockets by a wide margin in the series. In many ways, Durant being out relieved them of aggressive double teams, which is a big reason why they won two games after going down 3-0.

Houston's defense was nearly as impressive as last season, ranking sixth in efficiency. But that doesn't make up for the lack of offense. Durant was clearly the only true creator in Ime Udoka's system, and he didn't seem to have any adjustments in the regular season or playoffs.

Now, questions surround the core of Thompson, Sheppard, Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason is at risk of being broken up. Houston already sacrificed Jalen Green in the Durant trade. With glaring weaknesses and a need for another scorer, Şengün has been at the forefront of Rockets trade rumors. Eason's restricted free agency also looms as a key offseason storyline.

Grading this season, there's not much Houston could do to play at the highest level when considering injuries to key players throughout the season. However, the on-court product was still tough to watch against the NBA's elite, and a year that started with high hopes came crashing down in late April.

For the second season in a row, the Rockets finished with 52 wins and suffered a first-round playoff exit. But the sentiment is much different this time around.

Final Season Grade: C

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