Rockets Predicted to Have Top-Five Offense This Season

The Houston Rockets' offense over the last several years has been....meh. The team has been in dire need of an offensive closer and has struggled to identify the go-to in the waning moments of the shot clock or the game clock. 

It's been Alperen Sengun, in certain games, Amen Thompson in other games, and Jalen Green in other games. A clear illustration of an unclear and undecided closer.

In the postseason, the Rockets needed Fred VanVleet to turn back the clock in order to have a puncher's chance of keeping up with the Golden State Warriors, at least from an offensive standpoint. 

Granted, this shouldn't come as a surprise, as that's not Rockets coach Ime Udoka’s specialty. He thrives on the other end of the floor, as evidenced by Houston's fourth-place rank in defensive efficiency in 2024-25.

However, Houston's offense is expected to be much better this season. Certainly the best we've seen it since Udoka was hired in 2023.

In fact, Fadeaway World predicts the Rockets to have a top-five offense next season. 

"The Houston Rockets' offense was mediocre last season, but that should change with the major addition of Kevin Durant. At 36 years old, Durant remains one of the best scorers in the NBA and is a great addition to help push the Rockets to one of the best offenses in the league.

Furthermore, Alperen Sengun is emerging as a potential offensive star. Last season, Sengun averaged 19.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG, and 4.9 APG. As Sengun continues to develop, those numbers will only increase.

Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. are also players to watch to improve their offensive skills. If Thompson improves his outside shooting and Smith Jr. improves his ball-handling and shot creation, these two young players would make the Rockets' offensive attack even more balanced and harder to stop."

Relying on Thompson to establish an outside shot feels a bit ambitious. That's simply not his game. 

He's certainly not hesitant to take outside shots, which is very encouraging, but it's playing into the opposing defense's gameplan to allow him to take those. 

Kevin Durant will certainly improve the Rockets' offensive attack. He's one of the greatest scorers to ever touch a basketball. 

Adding the eighth-best scorer, who happens to be highly efficient, is reason to expect the Rockets to move in the right direction offensively. He certainly solves the issue of not knowing who to go to late in games.

But it's not a reach to expect Houston's offense to rank in the top-ten, as they ranked 13th last season. It's not like they were a bottom-five offense.

If they can create a top-five offense, they could certainly shorten the gap between them and the Oklahoma City Thunder.