Rockets Head Coach Ime Udoka Wants to Address These Needs In the Offseason

The Houston Rockets had high expectations this past season to make a deep playoff run, but injuries and issues on the offensive end were ultimately their early demise. This offseason is crucial for the Rockets to work on and improve their weaknesses and areas of concern heading into a high stakes 2026-27 season.

Having a talent like Kevin Durant on the team gives the Rockets a license to try and push to be a championship contender alongside the young core group of players. The Rockets this past season struggled in plenty of areas, and that must be upgraded to truly make noise in the playoffs.

The Rockets' offensive struggles this past season can mostly be pointed towards poor shooting and a lack of true ball-handling. With no Fred VanVleet, the Rockets lacked a proper point guard on the team. Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard took the reins and it was a mixed bag. Thompson grew on the job while Sheppard showed a much more natural ability to facilitate and run a pick-and-roll.

While VanVleet would have definitely changed the Rockets season, shooting was still an issue regardless. There are some big issues for the Rockets front office and coach Ime Udoka to address and fix before next season starts.

Having the same mistakes happen again would be a frustruating watch for a team with Durant and a bunch of talent that's looking to contend. Udoka discussed what he would like to improve among the team right after the season ended.

What Areas Udoka Wants the Rockets to Address

May 1, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka prior to game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

"We do need to address some needs. The lack of shooting at times. Whether it's a backup point guard or our young guys did enough this year to run that when Fred's back. We'll take a look at all those things," Udoka said. "We'll have some very interesting conversations. Having a little bit more of a mix instead of some duplicates out there."

Straight off the bat, Udoka recognized the biggest concern. Shooting. It plagued the Rockets in the first round series against the undermanned Los Angeles Lakers. Houston shot just around 40 percent in the playoffs, which was one of the lowest marks among playoff teams.

The Rockets will need to get some shot-makers and players who can get buckets. Durant was really the only consistent player in that category for long stretches this past season. Getting a great 3-point shooter to pair alongside Durant, Sheppard and Jabari Smith Jr. would also help. Consistency was lacking from beyond the arc.

It seems like a backup point guard is in their minds, and that is much needed. VanVleet will turn 33 next season and is coming off a torn ACL. It's unsure how he'll look after and the Rockets need more insurance besides Sheppard or Thompson. An experienced veteran floor general would be ideal.

When Udoka referred to "duplicates", that meant the excessive amount of wing players on the team. The depth at forward was strong, but also didn't include many real shot-makers on offense who could make the most of their opportunities. Smith Jr. greatly improved while Tari Eason started incredible but went into a slump.

He got out of it and showed some potential. Meanwhile, Dorian Finney-Smith didn't look the same at all, and Josh Okogie turned into a great free agent signing. The Rockets also had Jae'Sean Tate and Jeff Green. All those players are in the same position and have similar skillsets. Houston will need to get more wings with different kind of strengths to have a more balanced team.

There's a narrative that the Rockets are betting everything on VanVleet's and Adams' healthy returns. Udoka doesn't think that.

"We’re not basing everything on them coming back,” Udoka said. It's clear some moves will be made. How big remains to be seen.

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