Effort Has To Define The Rockets' Play To Avoid Letdowns

The Houston Rockets' worst losses have come when they have not placed the required effort to win against even weaker teams. With some of their energetic pieces returning to health, the team should be able to maintain their energy and effort more often.

Dec 27, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) passes the ball as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) defends during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets have proven throughout the season that they are one of the most talented teams in the NBA across the board. They have excellent top end talent with Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, and their next-best players Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard are also highly talented.

However, the Western Conference is full of teams with highly talented individuals, the determining factor on whether the Rockets can beat those teams is found solely in the effort they pair with their talent.

Some of Houston's ugliest losses have been against weaker teams that outhustled and outmuscled the Rockets, beating Houston at its own game.

The one defining factor throughout Houston's recent run as an improved team has been its defensive efforts. The Rockets suffocate opposing offenses with relentless effort from lengthy wings and players adept at defense. Even players who struggled defensively saw improvement throughout the Ime Udoka era as the team transitioned to more of a defensive identity.

The Rockets still have elements of that level of effort, mostly against some of the league's other top teams. Houston steps up against other elite squads, giving the effort that has defined their best games. It hasn't always translated into victories against these top teams, but the Rockets have lost most of their games by just a handful of points, even against the league's best.

Houston's lack of a true lead guard is one of the most discussed storylines surrounding the Rockets this season. However, they can mitigate some of the impact of not having a true point guard by applying more effort on the offensive end.

Thompson and Tari Eason are the best on the team at moving without the ball and getting into opportunities to score. Steven Adams has underrated skill in that regard, getting into position to receive dump offs and snag offensive rebounds to find easy buckets on offense.

Some of the team's more talented players don't generally require as much effort off-the-ball. Durant and Sengun seem to find their spots without needing much prior movement, opting to either shoot over defenders or slip around them.

Everyone else on the team must have higher effort on both sides of the ball to push the team to its true potential. Even weaker teams are able to surprise better teams with high effort to create their own opportunities to win. The Rockets are talented, but not enough to fall short in their effort.