Inexperience Is the Only Question for the Rockets Right Now

The Houston Rockets are on the rise as one of the best teams in the NBA, but one flaw could hold them back this season.

Oct 25, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and forward Dillon Brooks (9) and guard Reed Sheppard (15) and guard Jalen Green (4) react from the bench after a play during the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets have surged to an incredible 25-12 start to the 2024-25 NBA season. As we near the halfway point of the regular season, Houston is looking like a legitimate playoff team and a potential title contender behind a core of young talent.

Led by Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, and a slew of young players, the Rockets rank in the top 11 in both offensive (11th) and defensive rating (third). They are one of the best teams in the league already and still have an extremely bright future.

The Rockets have simply epitomized rapid improvement. They finished with 22 wins in 2023 but came back with a 19-win increase, finishing 41-41 in 2024 despite missing the Play-In Tournament. As 2025 kicks off, Houston is expected to finish 58-24, according to Hoop Venue's win pace calculator.

The only thing that holds the Rockets back from being a true championship team is the experience of their very best talent. While Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks are two rotation players with playoff pedigree, with VanVleet even being a champion in 2019, Houston's core group lacks any sort of real postseason experience.

The Rockets' main rotation consists of those two veterans, along with the young core of Sengun, Green, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason. Cam Whitmore has seen an increased amount of minutes lately, but Ime Udoka's rotation is generally limited to those seven or eight players.

Of that group, VanVleet and Brooks are the only players who have seen the Play-In Tournament, let alone the playoffs. It's not necessarily alarming, and Houston could still make serious noise in the postseason, but that's a factor that keeps them from getting ahead of teams like Boston, Oklahoma City, and Cleveland.

Give it time with Houston. The Rockets are still developing, and the rapid improvement over the last two seasons was unexpected. If things don't fall through in the playoffs, it's due to the inexperience. However, with the amount of weapons they have, it'll be hard to take this team down.

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