What The Rockets Can Learn From The NBA Champs

The NBA Finals are complete, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are walking away from the 2024-25 season with their first championship in the Thunder era. General Manager Sam Presti put on a masterclass of asset management throughout the years as the team slowly built around rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Their belief in this year's MVP was vindicated through a Finals victory and a Finals MVP for the superstar.

The Houston Rockets underwent a rebuild at nearly the same time as the Thunder, but with a much lower floor in Houston's worst seasons. Now, both teams are some of the top squads in the NBA, and the Rockets are still swinging for the fences to overtake the Thunder with the addition of former Oklahoma City great Kevin Durant. Both teams' destinies have been tied for over a decade, and there are lessons the Rockets can take from the newly crowned champs to help end their rebuild with a championship ring.

One thing the Rockets learned was that a No. 1 option is a necessity for a team with title hopes.

Gilgeous-Alexander was one of the top five players throughout the entirety of the postseason, and he was a big reason the Thunder closed out Game 7 in the Finals. The Rockets understood that element was missing from their team, which is why they acquired Durant to help provide the necessary scoring to win against other top teams.

Another lesson Houston took away from the Thunder's victory: shooting is crucial for the 'others' on the team. Players like Lu Dort and Cason Wallace knocked down timely three-pointers throughout the series, helping extend leads or climb back from deficits. The Houston Rockets were one of the worst-shooting teams from deep range this season, and they'll have to find ways to improve next season.

That may be difficult with the departure of Dillon Brooks, who was the team's best shooter this season. Durant's addition helps, but he'll still be playing with two non-shooters in Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson. Sengun and Thompson are elite talents themselves and find no issue scoring without the use of the deep ball. However, there must be offensive contributions from the rest of the roster to compete against the league's best teams.

The final takeaway from this year's Finals is that it takes every move from over the years to come together for one ideal situation. The Thunder had everything set up perfectly, from Gilgeous-Alexander peaking to the production of their young players. The defense was intense, the coaching was elite, and the team was healthy enough to compete throughout the postseason.

Not all of these elements are easily repeatable, especially when considering health. That's why taking advantage of contention windows when they are available is so important, and why win-now moves like adding Durant are viable options.

The Rockets may be entering their ideal situation starting next season. There will still be work to do to make sure they can sustain their success, but following the map left by Oklahoma City could lead the Rockets to the promised land in due time.