Biggest Takeaways from the Rockets' Rollercoaster Month of Basketball

Houston had a weird month of hoops, going 7-6. What can we take away from December?

Dec 3, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) is greeted by Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) after a basket during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Thankfully, the Houston Rockets have managed to climb back from a rough stretch of December basketball to end 2025 on a three-game winning streak. After Monday night's 126-119 win over the Indiana Pacers, the Rockets will end what has been a strange month with a 7-6 record, 20-10 overall.

About a week ago, the sentiment was a lot different from what it was at the beginning and end of December. From Dec. 6 to Dec. 23, Houston went 2-5. The bounce-back performances helped cool off the concern, but there is still a lot to take away from this month:

Defense Needs to Be More of an Emphasis Moving Forward

Defense and effort were major talking points from head coach Ime Udoka after each loss. The Rockets managed to finish December 17th in defensive rating (116.2), but were 23rd up until Christmas Day, having given up an average of nearly 118 points per game.

It was a big reason why Houston suffered losses to the Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans and LA Clippers, the bottom three seeds in the Western Conference.

Ball-stopping and chaos are what got the Rockets out of the rebuild last season. Just because there are a few more offensive talents on the roster doesn't mean that they have to go away. Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason have been studs on that end of the floor, and they should continue to be.

Kevin Durant's Offensive Involvement

Durant has been wildly efficient per usual, averaging 25.5 points per game on 52-44-89 shooting splits. However, the concern throughout most of December was not his production but rather his lack of involvement.

Even after most recently dropping 30 points on 17-for-20 shooting from the field against the Pacers, the 37-year-old is averaging 17 field-goal attempts per game this season, his lowest since 2016-17, when he was on a juggernaut in the Golden State Warriors.

Oftentimes, opponents will throw double teams to take him away from the offense, especially when he's the primary initiator just across half court. It has forced less-efficient weapons to step up, creating easier stops.

Both sides are still figuring things out. Teams are still struggling to hold Durant to low-scoring games, but Houston hasn't maximized the 6-foot-11 sniper's scoring output yet. It's a work in progress, but things have gotten a lot better over the last three games.