The Houston Rockets are frustrated after a second straight first-round exit in the playoffs, and it should spark questions about how the team proceeds moving forward.
This is the first season the Rockets have not taken a step in the right direction since Ime Udoka took over as head coach. They haven’t had many concerns up until this point, but the lack of progress can be concerning.
It poses a very difficult question they must answer going into free agency.
“Do the Rockets just run things back, hoping that a healthy Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams and further development from Ausar [sic] Thompson and Reed Sheppard propel them higher up the conference hierarchy?,” ESPN analyst Zach Kram wrote. “Or do they think something is fundamentally wrong with their core, and thus more dramatic changes -- like trading Sengun for a different, better-fitting star -- should be on offer?”
The Rockets are definitely in a predicament, but the injuries suffered during the season may save them from automatically pushing the panic and reset buttons. The Rockets still have a lot of potential and growth, but there should definitely be questions on whether this group can actually get the job done.
If things continue to remain stagnant or go south after the 2026-27 season, changes will have to be made. Depending on how the season goes, that may result in the Rockets moving on from Udoka, some of their core players, or both, but change will have to take place.
The finger should probably get pointed at Udoka before any young player they have drafted since 2021, but that all depends on how these players bounce back from a disappointing 2025-26 campaign.
TDS community, should the Rockets run it back or is a massive change necessary for this roster? Let us know in the comments section below.