Why the Rockets Continue to Struggle With Turnovers

The Houston Rockets did not look good at all in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night in the Toyota Center. It got ugly down the stretch, and the showing by the Rockets only further emphasized the specific struggles the team has.

While you would typically expect teams to get better as the season goes on, it has gotten worse for the Rockets lately. The injury to Steven Adams hurt the team and the way they played, but one problem has remained the same. Turnovers.

This is the biggest hindrance to the Rockets' chances of going deep in the playoffs. Turnovers will happen in games due to various reasons, but for Houston it's just careless. Having no true starting point guard has been described as the main reason for this, but there can be a limit to how much that has an impact on their turnovers.

What Happened to the Rockets Offense?

Mar 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) and guard Reed Sheppard (15) for the ball during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Rockets have the fourth most turnovers per game at 15.6 per game. It's right among the worst teams in the league and the second highest mark in the Western Conference. The main reason for the Rockets turnovers' keeps coming up over and over against the top teams in the league.

The Lakers took full advantage of that down the stretch, and aggressively double-teamed Kevin Durant as he brought the ball up the court to begin each offensive possession. Oppositions want to get the ball out of Durant's hands, and LA was incredibly successful at causing complete confusion for the Rockets' players with this simple strategy.

It's typically a straight forward adjustment for NBA teams on offense when the double comes after crossing half court. A few other teammates move up the court and act as a quick outlet to get rid of the ball while the off-ball movement from the rest of the players on the floor is quick.

The lack of adjustments as well as poor execution were the two reasons. Durant ended up with seven turnovers in the game and just two points in the second half. It obviously was not entirely his fault, but he did have some careless passes. When the double team is about to arrive, his teammates need to be right with him as an outlet.

The Rockets sometimes try to force the ball in certain areas even when the option is not there. The main problem that shouldn't be too hard to clean up is the silly turnovers. Houston had an eight second violation against LA, but have always thrown the ball away and been careless during various stretches.

Houston seems too quick to get rid of or pass the ball at times without properly taking a second to check if the coast is clear. If the Rockets just clean that up, their chance to win against teams like the Lakers will improve. The only reason they lost to LA on Monday was themselves.

The Rockets will need to change their strategy when the double team is employed such as moving Durant off-ball and get him the ball in different ways. Amen Thompson or Reed Sheppard both have the ability to bring the ball up the court as the active point guards on the team.

It will be interesting to see what coach Ime Udoka now does as the Rockets look to bounce-back on Wednesday against the same team.