How the Rockets' Advanced Stats Measured Against Last Season

The Houston Rockets organization, like other teams that are not playing second-round games, is settling into its offseason.

Some players are already beginning their offseason workout routines and traveling to their offseason homes, while others, like Amen Thompson, are watching family compete for championships.

The front office began planning to improve the team as soon as the buzzer sounded in Game 6. The 2025-26 season was one of the most up-and-down seasons in recent Rockets history. Coming into the season, a lot was expected of the Rockets. Once they made the blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant, most people believed the Rockets were one of the teams that could compete for a championship.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, that was not the case. The Rockets' season was flipped upside down after the injury to Fred VanVleet. From that point forward, the Rockets were scrambling all season to fill the void left by VanVleet. The injury bug would plague the Rockets all season.

Add on injuries during the season to Steven Adams and Dorian Finney-Smith, who never fully recovered from their offseason surgery, and you can understand why the Rockets struggled at times this season. That is not to mention the Durant alleged burner account drama, which the team had to deal with the weeks after the All-Star game.

With all that said, the Rockets still finished with the same record as last season at 52-30. They also saw their season end the same way as last season, with a first-round loss. With the season over for the Rockets, let's compare last season's advanced stats to this season's.

Advanced Statistic Comparison

Let's start with the offensive and defensive ratings from both seasons. Looking at the 2024-25 season, which, of course, included Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, the Rockets finished 12th in offensive rating at 114.9. The Rockets improved this season with the addition of Durant. The Rockets ranked eighth in 2025-26 at 112.1.

Looking at defensive rating, the Rockets did slightly better last season, finishing fifth at 110.3, compared to sixth this season at 112.1. That also fits the eye test, as last year's team was the more dominant in overall defense.

One area that saw a significant drop compared to last season is pace. Last season, the Rockets were not known as a fast-paced team, but they did push the pace more. The Rockets ranked 18th last season, down from 29th in 2025-26, as they elected to go with a more half-court offense to take advantage of Durant’s offensive skills.

The Rockets saw improvement in their true shooting percentage again, mainly because of the addition of Durant, going from 24th in 2024-25 to 19th this season. The Rockets, as you would expect, when you finish with the same record two seasons in a row, saw improvements in some areas and a decline in others.

52 wins is nothing to take for granted, especially in back-to-back seasons; however, the Rockets are at the point where just winning 50-plus games is not enough. With Durant's career coming to an end, the Rockets know they dont have any time to waste and must make improvements next season if they want to finally go from a team sitting at home in the second round to a championship-contending team.

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