Houston Rockets' Seeding Won’t Matter as Much This Season

The Houston Rockets are halfway through their 2025 preseason schedule. Through two games, Ime Udoka has mismatched his lineups with Kevin Durant sitting out game one before making his debut in game two. Udoka has played every active player in both preseason games.

The Rockets have looked efficient, especially on the offensive end, through the first two games. They scored 140 points in their game two win over the Utah Jazz, with Durant scoring 20 points in his debut, finishing 7-7 from the field after missing his first three shots. Udoka stated before the start of the preseason that the final two games would be more of a dress rehearsal, with the starters playing up to 30 minutes and a more standard rotation off the bench.

Unlike in previous seasons before the 2023-24 season, when the Rockets' roster mainly consisted of young players, this year's team will, on average, be one of their older teams since the rebuilding years. Most of the time, veteran players understand what is needed in the preseason and how to pace themselves to avoid overdoing it. That also goes for the regular season as the older team, the less essential things like seeding and to some extent home court advantage are to winning in the playoffs.,

Seeding and Home Court Advantage wont Matter to this Rockets Team.

Suppose any team understands that it should be the Rockets. Last year, the Rockets finished second in the Western Conference and faced off against the seventh-seeded Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately, the home court advantage didn't help, as the Rockets not only lost game one at home but also the deciding game seven at home.

Despite losing in last year's first round, finishing second was important for the team because many young players had never made the playoffs. That isn't the case for this year's team, as everyone in the main rotation has now been in a playoff series, and some, like Durant, have been to multiple NBA Finals.

That's why you shouldn't expect the Rockets to go full throttle throughout the season. They understand that with their roster, they can win on the road during the playoffs because they have players who have already done that. The Rockets will take a cautious approach with players like Steven Adams, Kevin Durant, and Clint Capela, as each has been in the NBA for several seasons and will need to be as fresh as possible for the playoffs.

That's not to say the Rockets won't try to win every game they play this season, and will want to finish in the top six to stay out of the play in game but if one of their veterans needs a game off, they won't hesitate to make that happen this season, as the playoffs are the most essential part of the season, and being healthy is the goal.