The Rockets Are Ready To Benefit From Postseason Experience

The Houston Rockets can finally say that they've experienced the postseason, and they now know the feeling of battling with a difficult matchup for a seven-game series. Those lessons were invaluable for Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason. However, despite the value of their postseason appearance, it was just a brief run, burning out in round one after fighting back from a 3-1 series deficit.

The front office knew the team would need to add more experienced players in the high-leverage situation of the playoffs. The Rockets had a successful offsea son adding several players with deep postseason experience.

It's led by the acquisition of two-time champion Kevin Durant. He's also a two-time MVP, as the all-time player has made a legacy of strong postseason play. He makes difficult, clutch shots, and is the definition of dependable offensively. He is his own offense in half-court settings, which is a major help when the game is close in the waning moments.

Durant isn't the only former champion who will play a large role for the Rockets. Fred VanVleet won a championship against a team Durant was on, contributing to his team's efforts with timely shooting and tenacious defense.

He was one of Houston's leaders in last year's postseason, and he has been a large contributor to the Rockets' success the past seve ral seasons. The Rockets hope VanVleet will be able to take a step back in the offense from last season, but he will still be counted on to provide organized passing while hitting timely shots.

Dorian Finney-Smith is an experienced addition as well. He made the Finals alongside Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, providing an outlet valve for Doncic after he drives to the rim. Finney-Smith often knocked down the three-pointers created by those kick-out passes.

The Rockets don't have a passer as dynamic as Doncic, but they do have players capable of drawing enough defensive attention to create open shots. Sengun and Durant will command double teams, while Thompson is fast and strong enough to create shots in the lane. Finney-Smith is a player who could benefit from the paint prowess of the team's top players.

One player who missed out on gaining postseason experience is Reed Sheppard. Sheppard had been relegated to the bench for much of the season, so it wasn't a reasonable expectation for him to get any playing time in the postseason.

The Rockets will hope he can develop into a quality postseason player despite that, because the rest of the team is now experienced and ready to compete.