Rockets Earn Favorable Grade In Yahoo Sports' Midseason Report Card

It's fair.

Jan 23, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) follows the play against the Detroit Pistons during the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets' first half of the 2025-26 NBA season has been rather inconsistent. The team has proven capable of beating many of the league's best teams.

They've got signature wins over the Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons. By the same token, they've lost games to non-contending teams.

Or at least teams that don't have the same infrastructure or level of talent.

Like the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks. 

Of Houston's 16 losses, nine have come against teams with losing records. 

Houston will have two All-Stars in next month's All-Star game, and justifiably. 

Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun have played very well for the Rockets. They've each been on the MVP ladder at different points of the season. 

Amen Thompson has played well for Houston, as well, especially considering what all he's been tasked with.

The Rockets sit fourth in the Western Conference, at 27-16.

They received a fairly favorable midseason grade by Yahoo Sports senior writer Ben Rohrbach, as Rohrbach concocted his midseason report card.

Rohrbach gave the Rockets a B.

"Without the injured Fred VanVleet, the Rockets lack an organizer of a point guard, and they have done quite well to survive it, posting the NBA’s third-rated offense. … Still, there are times in the clutch, where the Rockets are 10-12, when it is clear they need one. … It helps to have Kevin Durant, one of history’s most lethal isolation scorers — still, at 37 years old. Not normal, either, by the way. … It would be nice if coach Ime Udoka trusted Reed Sheppard more."

Only six teams in the Western Conference had either a comparable grade or better grade.

The Rockets rank fifth in offensive rating, eighth in defensive rating and fourth in net rating. 

The Rockets have gone 2-3 in their five back-to-back games thus far and will have another one on Thursday against the Atlanta Hawks, after facing the San Antonio Spurs yet again.

All told, the Rockets will have nine more such games. 

Three of them will be played in the month of February, three of them will be played in the month of March and two of them will be played in the month of April.