Houston Rockets Off to Best Start Since 2019-20

The Houston Rockets are second in the Western Conference and are off to their best start since the James Harden era.

Dec 11, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka reacts during the game against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Coming into the season the Houston Rockets knew they would be a better team. After finishing 41-41 last season which was a league best 19-game improvement many believe the Rockets had a good chance at the Play-In

Despite the Rockets' strong 14-6 record at the end of November, many doubted their ability to maintain their standing as the season progressed. However, with their recent 114-101 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, the Rockets improved their record to 20-9, placing them second in the Western Conference as they head into Christmas.

That is quite an achievement for a team that many believed would have to fight to get into the play-in game. The Rockets are off to their best start since the 2019-2020 season, James Harden's last full season with the Rockets. That season, the Rockets were 21-9 entering Christmas.

It is even more impressive if you factor in where the Rockets were just two seasons ago. After Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, Houston had their worst three-year stretch in the franchise's history.

The Rockets have won only 59 games over the past three years, including a franchise-worst 20-game losing streak. They were making national headlines for all the wrong reasons, and after finishing the 2022-23 season with a record of 22-60, they realized they needed to make a change.

The Rockets decided not to renew Stephen Silas's contract, and it seemed that from the start of their coaching search, they knew exactly who they wanted to lead the franchise into the future. Houston hired Ime Udoka, signed big-name free agents Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet, and started to change the narrative around the team.

Fast-forward to Dec. 23, 2024, and the Houston Rockets are one of the surprise teams in the NBA, poised to make their first playoff appearance since the 2019-20 season. If the Rockets continue on their current trajectory, the hiring of Udoka may go down as one of the best moves in franchise history.

More than half of the games are left before the end of the regular season. However, the Rockets have already demonstrated in their first 29 games that they have moved beyond the rebuilding phase.

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