The Houston Rockets Need More Shots to Fall

The Rockets' wins consistently feature impactful defensive effort and enough offense to win. They'll need their shots to fall before they can be a threat.

Jan 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Cam Whitmore (7) reacts after scoring a basket during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets have amassed a collection of talented offensive pieces on their roster. Houston has several players that have scoring ability. However, they haven't been able to combine their prowess and play well all at the same time. Their offensive capabilities can't be displayed consistently, and a major reason why is the inconsistent success shooting the deep ball.

The Rockets showed flashes of their talent in their recent victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Houston picked up a win with a strong second half of offense led by their two cornerstone players, Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun. They scored 22 and 23 points, respectively, to lead the team. Houston also got contributions from Dillon Brooks and Cam Whitmore, who scored 19 and 18 points, respectively.

Houston's surge in the second half helped secure a divisional victory against a team that will likely also be in the mix for a playoff spot by the end of the season.

The Mavericks were playing without their best player, Luka Doncic, so the Rockets found success defensively, stifling Kyrie Irving and the rest of Dallas' role players. Houston also succeeded on offense, but the team struggled again from the three-point line. It's an issue that has lasted all season and does not indicate it will change.

The Rockets hit eight of 25 three-point attempts against the Mavericks, and three starters didn't hit a single triple. Cam Whitmore was the team's best shooter against Dallas, hitting three of his four attempts on the way to a strong offensive outing off the bench. Dillon Brooks knocked down three three-pointers of his own on eight attempts, and Jabari Smith Jr. hit one of his two shot attempts.

Houston will likely need to see more of its jump shots go through the hoop if it hopes to compete against some of the best teams in the league. A Mavericks team without Doncic doesn't reflect the type of competition the Rockets hope to succeed against and prove they are also one of the league's top teams.

The Rockets are looking for solutions to their poor shooting problem, but there doesn't seem to be any lifeline on the way for Houston.

The deep shot is an element the Rockets have struggled with all season. They currently sit at a season average of 32.7 percent. That's the second-worst percentage in the league, just above the Orlando Magic, who are the worst-shooting team in the league.

The re-emergence of Cam Whitmore as a rotational piece may address some of the shooting concerns, but the starters will still have to contribute more to the deep-shooting offense for that part of Houston's game to be more consistent. Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet can't finish without a three-pointer on the stat sheet after combining for 7 missed three-pointers if Houston hopes to compete at the highest level.

The Rockets have found enough ways to score at the bucket to support their elite defense enough to win games. It's a strategy that seems to work now, but the shots will have to fall at some point to give Houston a fighting chance against much more proficient deep-shooting teams.

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