Regular Season Wins are No Longer the Only Goal for Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets have had quite a journey over the last several years. After Mike D'Antoni decided not to return to the Rockets, the trade of Russell Westbrook and, ultimately, James Harden led the Rockets to tear down the entire team and begin rebuilding.

For three consecutive seasons, from 2021-23, the Rockets won only 59 games, marking the worst three-year stretch in franchise history. The Rockets decided they wanted to build through the draft instead of signing high-cost free agents. The Rockets started this strategy in 2021 with the drafting of Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun.

The Rockets continued to build through the draft during the rebuilding period and also continued to rack up the losses. The Rockets' front office knew it couldn't rebuild forever and decided to take the next step in the offseason of 2023. That shift started with the hiring of Ime Udoka and the signing of Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks.

The Rockets improved by a league-best 19 games in 2023-24 as the combination of Udoka's no-nonsense coaching style and the veteran and young players building chemistry started to pay off for the Rockets. The Rockets finished with 41 wins and barely missed out on the play-in game.

The Rockets knew they were on the rise, and anything less than a playoff berth would be unacceptable. The Rockets took their 2023-24 success and ran with it that following season. The Rockets stayed near the top of the standings in the Western Conference, eventually finishing as the second seed.

Despite the tough first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Rockets had achieved some of their goals by winning fifty games and finishing second in the tough Western Conference. The Rockets went into the offseason knowing precisely what they needed to do.

The Rockets didn't waste any time in the offseason, as they pulled off the most significant trade in the NBA by acquiring future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant. That signaled to the league that regular-season wins and making the playoffs would not be enough for this version of the Rockets.

The Rockets also signed Dorian Finney-Smith and, surprisingly, signed former Rocket Clint Capela. Bringing in a player of the caliber of Durant makes it evident that the Rockets believe they are not just a good team but a championship team. The Rockets were a different team just three years ago, transitioning from a lottery team looking forward to the next season in March to a team that expected to be still playing in June.