Rockets Have Officially Flipped the Script On Their Scoring Narratives

Houston was facing many questions regarding its offense after last season and injuries. Through five games, the team has silenced those negative narratives.

Nov 1, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith (10) and center Alperen Sengun (28) celebrate during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets have officially found their groove five games into the season. It took back-to-back losses to open the season for them to do so, but at 3-2, Houston is looking good in an area that it struggled in last season: offense.

The story of the 2024-25 season for the Rockets was their elite defense. They posted a top-five defensive rating, priding themselves on key ball-stoppers such as Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green. While the defense was impressive, the offense was what resulted in an early playoff exit despite being the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Even though Houston acquired Kevin Durant this summer, there was still questions regarding the offense heading into the 2025-26 season, especially with Fred VanVleet out with a torn ACL. With a thin guard room and a young core having to adapt and develop, nobody could have expected the Rockets to completely silence the critics and shut down the narrative.

The script has been flipped through five games. Durant is his usual self, averaging 27.2 points per game on 55-41-85 shooting splits. Alperen Sengun has been a fantastic running mate, as he's putting up 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game.

Houston most recently dominated the Boston Celtics in a 128-101 win, in what was the first time this season that their defense looked just as good as the offense. The Celtics shot under 40% from the field while the Rockets shot 54.5% from the field and a staggering 65.5% from three.

With its third straight victory, Houston still owns the top offensive rating in the league at 126.5. The Rockets also lead the NBA in points per game with 127.8 on 50-45-79 shooting splits.

Houston is clearly just fine without VanVleet as the floor general. Ime Udoka is still trying different lineups, as the team has interchanged Steven Adams and Josh Okogie in the starting five thus far, with drastically different heights. It seems like Okogie is here to stay, though, considering the Rockets are 3-0 with him as a starter, and 0-2 with Adams.

The defense is starting to improve, with Houston ranking 12th in defensive rating (113.5). With Brooks, Green and VanVleet no longer in the picture, the Rockets have had to rely more on Thompson and Eason, as well as double-big lineups to crowd the paint. However, sacrificing defense has done wonders for the offense.