Team Chemistry and Toughness Has Become Rockets' Reputation Around the League

The Houston Rockets are wrapping up their 2025 training camp as they prepare for their first preseason game on Monday, which they will host against the Atlanta Hawks. The Rockets have practiced every day except Friday, focusing on a range of areas, including new offensive sets and defensive strategies.

Players like Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard have impressed during training camp, as they are set to play the majority of minutes in the backcourt this upcoming season, following Fred VanVleet's injury. The Rockets are expected to compete for a championship after a period of rebuilding from 2021 to 2023, during which they won only 61 games.

That all started to turn around when the Rockets transitioned from rebuilding with young high draft picks to a more veteran-led team with the additions of Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Jeff Green in the summer of 2023. They also wanted to change the team's entire identity on and off the court.

Udoka, Brooks, and VanVleet brought not only the toughness the Rockets had been missing but also the reputation of being hard workers and, in the case of Brooks and VanVleet, great teammates, and when it came to Udoka, one of the most well-respected coaches amongst players in the league.

The Rockets' reputation has played a big part in their recent trades and signings

This past offseason, the Rockets recognized they needed to make a move to transition from an up-and-coming team to a legitimate championship contender. That meant the Rockets would need to bring in top-level talent, and that's precisely what they did. The Rockets traded for future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant, who, even at the age of 37, is still one of the best players in the league.

Even though players, in theory, don't have a say in where they will go in a trade unless they have a no-trade clause, most elite players usually determine where they will be traded to. Durant is elite and specifically listed the Rockets as the team he wanted to play for in 2025-26.

One of the main reasons Durant wanted to come to the Rockets was because of the reputation they have built up over the prior two seasons. Durant told Rockets on SI that the Rockets' chemistry is something that stood out to him.

“I just feel like they were always a connected group especially Al P and Twin. I felt like they were always on the same page.”

I asked KD if anything has stood out to him about players like Amen and Alperen during practice that he may not have noticed as an opponent

“I just feel like they were always a connected group especially Al P and Twin. I felt like they were always on the same page.” pic.twitter.com/nOLPsGlKZB
— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) October 2, 2025

The chemistry of the Rockets also played a role in Clint Capela's decision to return to Houston, despite the Team already having Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun. The Rockets' reputation has come a long way from John Wall saying the Rockets' situation was beyond trash to now the Rockets being on the short list of teams that players around the league want to play for.