Three keys to success for the Houston Rockets 2026-2027 season

Barring a catastrophe, the Houston Rockets will make the playoffs in 2026-27.

Making the playoffs is no longer enough.

If they don’t win a series this year, they’ll need major systemic changes. It isn’t even up for debate. It might start with firing Ime Udoka, but that’s actually my next article.

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(In the industry, that’s called a plug).

For now, let’s drink a half-full glass of optimism juice. The Rockets certainly have the talent to advance to (at least) the second round. After the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, they should be able to beat anybody in a playoff series (although the newly formed Timberwolves would like a word, and Jokic is still a Nugget…anyway, optimism).

Here are three keys to a successful 2026-27 season

1. Improved Shooting

As was the parlance in the 1990s, no duh.

It’s less about accuracy and more about volume. The Rockets were 10th in three-point percentage in 2025-26 (36.4%), but 28th in threes attempted per game (31.5). If they’d taken one three all year and hit it, they’d have shot a historic 100.0% from three-point range.

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Fred VanVleet, who shot 7.7 threes per game in 2024-25, will help. More would be nice. Expanding Reed Sheppard’s role could suffice, but that’s at odds with VanVleet getting his shots up, and with Marcus Smart in the fold…well, we’ll see what happens.

Could Alperen Sengun get one more up per game, and ideally start hitting more? Amen Thompson is too far from a “credible shooter” to even wishcast.

It would be optimal if Kevin Durant would slightly adjust his shooting profile, but that’s unlikely. He’s been the perfect shot creator, in a vacuum, for his entire, illustrious career. He now finds himself on a team that needs fewer mid-range shots and more threes, but he’s a pretty old dog to expect a new trick from.

Wherever the Rockets find more threes, they need more threes.

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2. Veteran Health

This one is also obvious.

They’re all obvious, OK? There’s no hidden blade. The Rockets are arguably the best rebounding team ever. They’re a top-end defensive team. They need better shooting; they need luck, and they need one more equally…

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Publish date : 2026-09-04 13:33:00

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