Houston Rockets' Biggest Weaknesses Entering the 2024-25 NBA Season

With the organization making minimal roster changes, Houston has some holes to fix for the upcoming season.

Mar 10, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) stand on the court during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets haven't made any trades or major signings to shake up their roster this offseason. Aside from the NBA Draft, Houston dealt the Brooklyn Nets their picks back for the Phoenix Suns first-round picks in the future. With the likely scenario being the Rockets running it back with the same core, there are a few holes in their system that need to be fixed in the future.

Perimeter Shooting

The Rockets shot 35.2% on average from deep last season, and it made sense considering they didn't have any elite 3-point threats. Out of their top ten scorers from 2023-24, not one player shot above 39% from deep, and just two shot above 37% -- Fred VanVleet and Aaron Holiday.

Houston's top scorers simply aren't known for shooting. Players like Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun attack the basket as slashers or paint players, and the guards and wings, notably VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, aren't that efficient. A great move would've been signing a reliable 3-point shooter like Buddy Hield or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency, someone who could fit into a strict role in the catch-and-shoot game.

The inability to shoot efficiently hurt Houston's offensive rating, resulting in it being 113.7, good for 20th in the league. Its defense, sitting in the top ten at 112.8, carried most of their 41 wins, while the lack of offense carried most of their 41 losses.

Assists and Turnovers

You might assume Houston has great assist numbers considering VanVleet and Sengun combined for 13.1 assists per game, however, the Rockets averaged just 24.8 per game (25th). On top of that, their assist-to-turnover ratio was just 1.95 (20th).

VanVleet and Sengun are great passers without a doubt, but aside from them, no one can run the floor and distribute. Those two are the only players to average more than four assists per game, with the next highest being Green at 3.5 assists a night.

The youth contributed to the turnover numbers, which is natural. Sengun and Green had the highest turnover average at a combined 4.9 per game. The Rockets need to find point guard depth, particularly passers. Kyle Lowry, Kris Dunn, and Chris Paul were more than affordable if Houston wanted to get more distribution in their offense.

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