Rockets Need to Continue to Work On Limiting Turnovers

Even with the win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Houston Rockets will need to continue to improve on taking care of the basketball, especially their young backcourt.

Oct 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) dribbles the ball during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

After a long offseason that saw the team trade their second overall pick, Jalen Green, for future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant and dealing with the aftermath of the Fred VanVleet injury news, the Rockets finally kicked off the 2025-26 season on Monday.

The Rockets hosted the Atlanta Hawks in preseason game number one, and despite Kevin Durant being ruled out right before game time, the Rockets had control of the game for most of the night. Alperen Sengun dominated in his short time on the court, scoring 19 points with six assists and only one turnover in 19 minutes of play.

Sengun sat out the second half, which gave players like JD Davison a chance to prove they belong in the NBA. The reigning G League MVP spent the first few years of his career with the Boston Celtics before landing with the Rockets this past offseason. Davison had a great night, finishing with 17 points on 5-7 from downtown.

On the night, the two combined for four assists but also had seven turnovers as the duo struggled at times to get the Rockets into their offensive sets. Thompson seemed to rush some of his moves going to the basket, which resulted in turnovers, and Sheppard and some of his teammates weren't always on the same page.

Before VanVleet joined the Rockets, they were one of the worst teams in the league when it came to turnovers. In the last two seasons with VanVleet at point guard, the Rockets were one of the best teams in the league at protecting the ball, especially in the first season VanVleet was on the team.

In Monday's win, the Rockets turned the ball over 19 times while dishing out 24 assists, which is not the assist-to-turnover ratio you want to see, even in a preseason game. Some of the turnover woes could be alleviated with Durant on the floor, as he will assume some of the playmaking duties.

Durant has averaged over four assists for most of his career. Just the gravity he has on offense, forcing teams to double-team him, can help open up the offense and make it easier for everyone to get open looks. However, the Rockets will need their guards to do a better job of getting the offense into the right sets and, especially, not turning the ball over.

The Rockets, and specifically their backcourt, will get their next chance to improve their playmaking and ball handling as they host the Utah Jazz in the final preseason home game before the start of the regular season on Wednesday night.