Houston Rockets' Shooting Has Improved Despite Recent Losses

Since the start of 2025, the Houston Rockets have seen improvements from 3-point range.

Feb 9, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) shoots the ball during the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets head into the All-Star break at 34-21. Despite the recent struggles, the team is ahead of where most people thought they would be when the season started. However, the Rockets have slipped in the standings in the last few weeks.

For about a month, the Rockets were firmly in the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. That, despite struggling on offense, specifically from 3-point range. From the beginning of the season until Dec. 31, the Rockets ranked No. 29 in 3-point shooting.

Coming into the season, the Rockets hoped they would see an improvement in that area with the drafting of Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason returning from injury. That wasn't the case early on, as the team has struggled to find consistent shooting.

The one area that the Rockets thrived in was on the defensive end, where they were a top two defensive team for the first few months of the season. One of the Rockets best help side defenders Jabari Smith went down with a broken hand during a practice after the Rockets New Years Day game.

Since Smith has been out of the lineup, the Rockets have seen their defensive rankings slip. Since Jan. 1, Houston has seen their defense go from the top two to the middle of the pack. Some may feel it is the direct result of not having Smith in the lineup.

In reality, it is a combination of Smith being out of the lineup and a tougher overall schedule. Even though the defense has dropped, surprisingly, the Rockets' 3-point shooting has done a 180. Since the start of 2025, Houston's 3-point shooting has gone from 32% to 35.8, which is a substantial improvement for the Rockets.

That is with Fred VanVleet and Smith out of the lineup for several weeks. Both are two of the Rockets' best shooters. Head coach Ime Udoka has mentioned several times that he likes that their offense is improving, but he wants them to get back to their top-ranked defense.

With the possible return of Smith and VanVleet on Feb. 21, the Rockets may be able to finally get their offense and defense on the same page.

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