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The Houston Rockets And Their Weird 2025-26 Season

Originally posted on Stadium Rant | By David Desa | Last updated Apr 6, 2026 2:42 PM ET

The Rockets headed into the season viewed as one of the best teams in the league, and one of the few teams that could actually take down the Western Conference favorites, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Many people thought Houston was going to be, without a doubt, a top 3 seed in the West, along with the Thunder and the Nuggets. We did not have the Spurs being this good, this early into their development with Victor Wembanyama. But the Spurs aren’t the reason for this disappointing season for Houston; they’ve had many reasons for this collapse.

What Went Wrong For The Rockets?

It all started with an injury to Fred VanVleet. He tore his ACL in his right knee just before training camp started in September. The vibes after trading for one of the best scorers in NBA history, in Kevin Durant, were high in Houston, and then the VanVleet news broke that he’ll more than likely miss the entirety of the upcoming season. There goes Houston’s starting point guard, just like that. The season starts, and they still haven’t addressed the lack of a true point guard. They end up being pretty good, purely based on the talent on the roster. There were flaws that weren’t noticeable in the beginning.

Midway through the season, their best rebounder and screen setter in Steven Adams, gets injured and now also going to be out for the rest of the season. Houston is now without their backup center and starting point guard, which is not a recipe for success. As if the injuries aren’t enough, during the all-star break, allegations about Kevin Durant come out, speaking down on his old teammates and current teammates on the Rockets.

End Of The Rockets Rant

KD obviously comes out and denies all of these rumors, but it is hard to see if his teammates believe that. Since that incident, the Rockets have been up and down in their play, and it leaves many people wondering if this team is close off the court or if they are just on the team together. Another reason for the big drop-off is the recent play of Tari Eason. He started the season off shooting an amazing 46% from the 3pt line, which is among the top of the league. Since the break, that number has fallen off a cliff. Houston still has the talent to make some noise in the postseason, but it starts now.

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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