Houston Rockets' fatal flaw that must be fixed after 2025 NBA All-Star break
02/21/2025 02:21 PM
The Houston Rockets' success has been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season as Ime Udoka and company sit in fourth place in the Western Conference at the All-Star break. With just 27 games to go, the Rockets are in a good position to avoid the play-in tournament in the Western Conference.
The All-Star break came at a good time for the Rockets. Houston was slumping heading into the break, winning just three of its last 10 games. The Rockets were once in second place in the Western Conference, but have slid down a couple of spots as the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies have gotten hot.
That slide has happened for a few reasons. Point guard Fred VanVleet has been out with an ankle injury and has not played since Feb. 1. The Rockets also struggled to manage a fairly challenging stretch of schedule that included games against the Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks.
However, the Rockets have found themselves in a lot of those games down the stretch, even against the good teams on their schedule. Closing out those games is what has been the problem for them. The Rockets have struggled in crunch time games lately, and that is the primary thing that needs to turn around for them to climb back up in the standings and compete for a Western Conference title.
Rockets must fix crunch-time offense
The Rockets actually lead the NBA in crunch time wins with 19, but a lot of that comes from the fact that they play a ton of close games. Houston, Golden State and Minnesota are all tied for the league lead with 34 clutch games, so the Rockets find themselves in these situations all the time.
Houston's 19-15 record in crunch time games is pretty solid, but it has started to get uglier against some of the better teams on the schedule and during its recent slide. Ime Udoka has established a strong defensive identity on this team, but the offense is where the team has struggled down the stretch of tight games.
Houston's net rating in crunch time this season is negative-8.2 points per 100 possessions, good for 22nd in the NBA. They are also poor on the defensive glass, which gives opportunities to opposing offenses. But the Rockets also slow the game way down in the closing minutes which hurts their offense.
Houston is 25th in the NBA in crunch time pace, leaving them in a lot of late clock scenarios where someone is forced to create a shot for themselves. However, the Rockets don't have a super reliable shot creator outside of Jalen Green when he really gets it going. That leaves them with a lot of bad shots from players that you don't really want to see taking tough shots.
Oftentimes, the Rockets will just dribble the air out of the ball and run the clock down, and the possession usually ends with an isolation to Green, Alperen Sengun or others. But that's not how the Rockets play offense when they are playing well. Houston would benefit from speeding the pace of its offense up late in games, running stuff through Sengun as a hub and allowing guys like Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and some of the other wings to be active as cutters and slashers to open up the floor.
Doing that will also free up guys like Sengun, Green and some of the better perimeter shooting role players to get good shots in the rhythm of the offense, even if it's earlier in the clock at times.
The Rockets are probably a star away from making a true deep playoff run and contending for a Western Conference title and a berth in the NBA Finals, but gaining some playoff experience this season is crucial for a young group that is trying to grow together and find its identity as it moves into the future together. In order to be competitive or even win a series, the Rockets must fix the offense late in games.
The post Houston Rockets’ fatal flaw that must be fixed after 2025 NBA All-Star break appeared first on ClutchPoints.
