Are the Rockets Capable of Going on a Title Run?

The 2026 postseason is around the corner. The stakes will be at their peak.

As the league's old adage goes, it's where legends are made. It's where history is made.

Whichever you prefer. Or whatever is more suitable. As it pertains to the Houston Rockets, let's stick with the latter word -- suitable.Because it remains to be seen just how suitable the Rockets are for a tough gauntlet of postseason play in the Western Conference. The Rockets have been fairly inconsistent.

Some nights, they play beautiful basketball offensively. When they maximize possessions and protect the ball.

Part of the issue has been lineups and rotations. Ime Udoka hasn't helped in that regard. We've seen players in and out of the starting lineup. The Rockets haven't found a way to maximize the depth on their roster.

Josh Okogie and Aaron Holiday can contribute, but haven't consistently earned minutes. And we don't have to get into the usage of Reed Sheppard, who Udoka has been timid to start, even though his skillset and player profile is the team's closest replacement for Fred VanVleet.

Houston has struggled to shoot the ball as well. They were top five in outside shooting efficiency all season, from a percentage standpoint, but rank 29th in that category in the month of March, at a mere 32.9 percent from long-range distance.

For a team that has struggled to get up threes on volume, the Rockets have to hit the ones they take, at a much higher percentage than that. Add it all up and there's not a significant bit of optimism about the team heading into the playoffs.

Just ask Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey, who is pessimistic about Houston's chances of advancing deep in the postseason.

"It's probably time to start questioning the Houston Rockets' status (or former status) as a title contender. After Wednesday's home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston has dropped three of its last four and is 4-6 in its last 10. The Rockets' minus-7.3 net rating in the clutch ranks 24th in the league."

Bailey continued, delving into Houston's point guard situation.

"With neither Amen Thompson nor Reed Sheppard really growing (or being allowed to grow) into the point guard's role, the offense has looked listless since losing Steven Adams' rebounding. Since he left the rotation with an injury, Houston is 20th in points per 100 possessions."

Steven Adams' presence covered alot of the Rockets' flaws and warts. His five offensive rebounds per game led to five additional high percentage scoring opportunities, whether by way of open kick out threes or tip-ins near the cup.

Houston's defense has also not been nearly good enough, for a team that hangs their hat on getting stops. But the team has Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson, who have been sensational.

And Alperen Sengun has proven capable of rising to the occasion. But the warts may exceed the positives when the postseason rolls around. The margin of error is really small. Much of it will come down to which side of the bracket Houston falls on.