Houston Rockets Are Finding Their 3-Point Shooting Form at the Perfect Time

The Houston Rockets have gone from one of the worst shooting teams the first few months to one of the better 3-point shooting teams in 2025.

Mar 27, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) takes a three-point shot against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets defeated the Phoenix Suns 148-109 and have now won 12 out of 13 games. The Rockets used stifling defense and hot shooting from downtown to blow out a Suns team heading to the lottery. The Rockets' 18-of-31 shooting from 3-point range continues their excellent shooting since the start of 2025.

The Houston Rockets knew coming into the season that they would have to become a better shooting team. Specifically, a better 3-point shooting team if they wanted to compete for a playoff spot. During the rebuilding seasons, the Rockets were one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA.

Even though the Rockets improved by 19 games last season, they still ranked in the bottom 10 in 3-point shooting. Coming into this season, the Rockets were hoping the addition of Reed Sheppard and the return of Tari Eason would help improve their bottom 10 shooting from beyond the arc.

That wasn't the case however to start the season as the Rockets had to lean heavily on their rebounding and defense to win games for the first few months. That strategy worked for the most part as the Rockets got off to their best start since 2018.

The Rockets realize, however, that it wasn't sustainable if they didn't start to shoot a better percentage from downtown. From the start of the season until the end of 2024, the Rockets shot 32.7% from 3-point range, which was next to last in the NBA.

The Rockets poor shooting put a lot of stress on their defense and left them with a slim margin of error every game. The Rockets, however, did not seem to worry about the slow start from 3-point range. Several times, Ime Udoka stated that every team deals with shooting slumps and that those same missed shots would eventually start to fall.

It seems Udoka knows his team well, as the Rockets have seen their shooting improve since the start of 2025. Since the calendar flipped to the new year, the Rockets' 3-point percentage has gone from 32 percent in the first few months of the season to 36.7% which is No. 11 in that time frame.

For some teams, 36 percent may not be anything to celebrate, but it has been a welcome development for the Rockets, who have struggled for several seasons from downtown. The Rockets have used their improved shooting to help them through multiple injuries in the last two months.

The improved shooting comes at the perfect time, as the Rockets have only seven games left in the regular season before heading to the playoffs. Yes, defense wins championships, but a good offense helps you advance in the playoffs, and the Rockets are starting to hit their offensive groove at the perfect time.

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