Houston Rockets Remain Ahead of Schedule

Despite newly-added title aspirations, the Houston Rockets remain well ahead of schedule.

Feb 8, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets sped into the league’s mid-season pit stop with a myriad of issues.

They blew a tire in the form of a six-game skid that saw them fall from No. 2 in the West to No. 5. The engine suffered with the losses of starters in point guard Fred VanVleet and forward Jabari Smith Jr. And overall performance in the race has been inconsistent in a variety of ways.

Despite that, the 2024-25 iteration of the Houston Rockets remains well ahead of schedule.

Coming into the season, expectations were low for Houston, despite them owning one of the largest and most talented young cores in the entire league. Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore and Smith were all thought of to be talented prospects, but had yet to truly thrive in tandem with the team’s veterans in VanVleet and Dillon Brooks.

In the first several months of the season, they did just that.

Through late-January, they sat at 32-14, and looked to be a legitimate contender in the West. The six-game skid eventually happened, of course, and the team now sits at No. 4 in the conference at the break.

For organization and fans alike, the mid-season ending was likely disappointing. But in the context of the NBA preseason, Houston has massively overachieved.

The Western Conference remains a gauntlet, and Houston has positioned itself well to make the postseason for the first time since 2020 — a massive win in itself.

Not only has the squad very tangibly played better than many thought, they still have plenty of room to grow in the future. Their young core will continue to see internal development, and is only set to get better in the coming years.

While contention may be off the table for now, a postseason berth in any capacity will serve the team well this season, and the team continues to play with house money succeeding so far this year.

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