Rockets' Offense Looking Sloppy to Start the Season

Houston has to break this trend to be a playoff team.

Oct 26, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) shoots the ball in the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets have started the season at 2-2 grabbing some impressive wins but dropping winnable games against inferior opponents. The team lost the season opener against the Charlotte Hornets, and then dropped one against the San Antonio Spurs three days later.

Houston's most impressive win came against the Memphis Grizzlies, when they scored 128 points. Aside from that, the Rockets' offense has struggled to start the season, and is one of the biggest reasons why the team is .500 to start.

Jalen Green has been the only elite scorer for the Rockets thus far. He's averaging 28.8 points per game, with the next-highest being Fred VanVleet and Alperen Sengun at 14.8 points each. Even though Green is scoring at a high rate, it hasn't translated to wins due to the sloppiness of the rest of the team.

The Rockets have started the season in a shooting slump. The team ranks 29th in field-goal percentage (40.7%) and 16th in three-point percentage (35.4%). On top of this, Houston can't stop turning the ball over, ranking sixth in that category (12.5 per game).

The Rockets' statistical trend has stayed the same as last year. The team ranks sixth in defensive rating to start the season but the offensive statistics noted earlier continue to hold the team back.

There is hope, however. This team is still very young under second-year coach Ime Udoka. Perhaps this is all just an adjustment period or a slump that just happened to start the season, because when the Rockets' offense gets going, they'll be a force in the NBA.

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