Three big questions reloaded Rockets must answer during 2025 season

The Houston Rockets had the second-best record (52-30) in the Western Conference last season. Then they went out and traded for future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant.

With Durant on board, along with All-Star center Alperen Sengun (19.1 PPG, 10.3 rebounds last season) and All-Defensive forward Amen Thompson (1.4 steals, 1.4 blocks), the Rockets are ready for a deeper playoff run in 2025. The team swapped starters Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks for Durant this summer, then restocked their bench with Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela.

The Rockets were patient during their lengthy rebuild, but now they're all in. Here are three questions Houston must answer as it prepares to compete for a championship.

1. Will adding Kevin Durant fix their stagnant offense?

The Rockets were an elite defensive team last season. On offense? Not so much. They were the NBA's fourth-worst three-point shooting team, the 10th-worst three-point shooting team and the league's worst free-throw-shooting team. The Rockets finished with the third-fewest assists in the NBA, surviving on offense mainly due to their dominance in offensive rebounding.

Durant is one of the best shooters in basketball history. His career shooting splits are truly elite percentages at 50.2/39/88.2. Simply having him on the floor creates space for the rest of the team, but it doesn't necessarily lead to ball movement.

While Durant is a tremendous isolation player — he's still an isolation player. The Rockets need a more sophisticated offense that doesn't rely as much on individual heroics, especially considering how often he gets injured.

2. How do the young wings fit in?

The Rockets loaded up on veterans this summer, to the point that they traded the No. 20 pick from the 2023 draft, Cam Whitmore, for two second-round picks. They also added Capela and brought back Steven Adams, a clear sign the team is planning on employing more two-center lineups, with an even bigger player next to Sengun.

That, plus the arrival of Durant and Finney-Smith, means fewer front-court minutes available for promising young forward Tari Eason (1.7 steals, 0.9 blocks last season) and perhaps even Thompson, who dominated on defense last season but struggled with turnovers (two per game) and outside shooting (27.5 percent on threes). Houston may have gotten more certainty with its new veterans, but they might be missing out on a lot of upside.

3. Can they develop more ball handlers?

Houston used the No. 3 overall pick on point guard Reed Sheppard in 2024, only to see him average just 4.4 points in 12.6 minutes per game. They'll need him this season, especially with Fred VanVleet taking a step back offensively last season — from 17.4 PPG to 14.1 last season, from 41.6 percent on field goals to 37.8 percent and from 38.7 percent on three-pointers to 34.5 percent, with his assists dropping from 8.1 to 5.6.

Sengun is a solid passer for a big man, but the Rockets really need Sheppard to develop as an additional ball handler and distributor to VanVleet. Shooting guard Jalen Green wasn't a great passer, but losing him removes the player who was third on the Rockets in assists last year.

If Sheppard can reach some of the potential he showed in his single season at Kentucky, it could go a long way in giving the Rockets a championship-caliber offense.