'They don't have any idea how to play basketball' - Charles Barkley gets real on why he doesn’t believe in the Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets have been one of, if not the most surprising teams to start the season in terms of their success. Although they've shown signs of growth and promise, TNT's "Inside the NBA" host and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley doesn't believe in them. According to "Sir Charles" the Rockets' current success is a fluke because they still don't know how to play basketball properly.

"They don't have any idea how to play basketball. They play the game strictly on talent. They got so much more talent than the Warriors. They've got a great record but they're not ready for primetime. The referees had to give them this game tonight. They have a bright future but man, they have to learn discipline, how to take care of the ball, shot selection," Barkley said.

Typical young team mistakes

Barkley's quote here comes out too harsh especially for a team that has far exceeded expectations to begin the season. Still, perhaps the 11-time All-Star is using the Rockets' underwhelming performance in their victory against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night as his basis. After all, Houston did blow a 14-point lead at home and almost gave the game away if it weren't for a questionable foul call that went their way late in the game.

Barkley is talking as if he knows the Rockets want to be championship contenders with the core they have, and the only way he feels they can achieve that is if they improve their offense and game-management skills.

"They've got a lot of talent, and they can't play like they used to. They're relevant now, they have a terrific coach and now they got to learn how to take care of the ball. They have to stop taking bad shots. Like Jalen Green, he almost had 9 points again, and some of those are free throws. They've got a lot of talent but they have to learn how to play basketball," Barkley added.

Special times are coming in Houston

In fairness to Barkley, he's right in calling out the Rockets' lackluster performance. Besides blowing a 14-point lead, they had 16 turnovers and shot 22.2% from the three-point line. That tracks with the fact that they're currently ranked 15th in the league in offense and have been winning games with their defense, which is the second-best in the league. This shows that, at the moment, this young Houston squad is still very much a one-dimensional team.

The best way the Rockets can sustain their success is, as Barkley said, by becoming a formidable team on both ends of the floor. That means making sure their offense is on par with their defense while getting the best out of Jalen Green and Amen Thompson — two lottery picks who still have to prove themselves and who the team depends on to increase their ceiling.

Only time will tell if the Rockets' current success is a sign of prosperous things to come for their franchise moving forward.