Houston Rockets: Peaking at the Perfect Time

The Houston Rockets are peaking at the perfect time. They are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Mar 21, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) drives to the basket as Miami Heat forward Kevin Love (42) defends at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets are on a nine-game win streak and currently hold the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with a 46-25 record. Just a few weeks ago, the team had fallen to the No. 5 seed due to a losing streak. The Rockets have been on a stretch of home games, and it has paid off as they have scaled their way back up to the top of the West.

Houston will be making the playoffs this season for the first time since the 2019-2020 season. The "Core 7" players have never experienced that environment in their careers, so to go into the playoffs after a clutch winning streak is the best-case scenario for the young squad.

Defense wins championships, and in the case of Houston, the defense has gotten them to the playoffs. The Rockets' young players do not have any playoff environment experience, but their defense will certainly be able to help them win some games. Going into the playoffs on a huge winning streak should boost their confidence, and it is the best-case scenario for the young team.

Fred VanVleet showed last night against the Heat that he is fully healthy, and he can lead the Rockets to big wins when they need one. After being out with an ankle injury for a few weeks, he is starting to look like himself again. This is huge for Houston going into the playoffs as he is the on-court vocal leader of the team. Jabari Smith Jr. recently came back from injury as well, and he has been playing well since returning too. Amen Thompson is also back from being hurt, and he helped lead Houston to beating the Miami Heat last night. He has been a huge value to the Rockets this season, and to have him back fully healthy is great for the team. A fully healthy Houston team is dangerous, especially when they are all fully healthy right before postseason action.

The young core getting playoff experience as a high seed in the Western Conference is great. They are going to have to learn how to fight in the tough environment, which they previewed against the Golden State Warriors in the In-Season Tournament. Getting this experience as a young team is great, and they will grow together through it to become even better next season.

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