The Rockets Set a Franchise Record in This One Important Category

The Houston Rockets had their best season in franchise history in this one category, and it's barely being talked about.

Dec 11, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka talks with guard Fred VanVleet (5) during the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets have been in the NBA for 58 years, going back to 1967 in San Diego. Over that time, the Rockets have had MVPs, Hall of Fame players, and championships. That means the Rockets have set many franchise records, both good and bad.

In recent times, the Rockets have come close to bringing a championship back to Houston but, as we all know, fell short. During the James Harden era, the Rockets were one of the best teams in the league but weren't known as a team that took care of the basketball.

That changed with Chris Paul's arrival in the summer of 2017. Paul is a future Hall of Famer known for being one of the best players in the league when it comes to not turning the ball over, but even during the Paul era, that team didn't accomplish what last year's team accomplished.

Lowest turnovers per game in a 82-game season in franchise history

Apr 9, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) handles the ball against Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz (20) during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Since Paul's exit after the 2018-19 season and the Harden trade, the Rockets have been one of the worst teams in the NBA when it comes to turnovers. In 2022-23, the Rockets ranked No. 29 in turnovers, and in 2021-22, they ranked last. In both seasons, they averaged over 16 turnovers per game.

So it was no surprise that the Rockets won only 42 games in those two years combined. That all changed last off-season with the arrival of Ime Udoka and Fred VanVleet. The Rockets front office made it clear after the 2022-23 season that phase one of the rebuild was over.

Udoka said from the start that he wanted his team to play better defense and make fewer mistakes on defense and offense. That philosophy translated to better play on the court for the Rockets last season.

Last season, the Rockets had their best season ever in terms of turnovers. They turned the ball over only 12.7 times a game, the only time in franchise history they averaged less than 13 per game.

Basketball Reference

Even more remarkable, last season, the Rockets had their third-lowest total turnover mark. The only two seasons with less total turnover were 1998-99 and 2011-12. Both of those seasons were strike-shortened seasons. Last season, the Rockets even had fewer total turnovers than the two reduced COVID seasons.

As mentioned earlier, Udoka played a huge part in the Rockets' turnaround. Fred VanVleet was also a big reason for the turnaround.

Fred VanVleet was a major part of the Rockets turnaround

Apr 7, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) drives around Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) during the third quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

When the announcement came in that VanVleet was coming to the Rockets on a max deal, most of the comments were about how much of an overpay the deal was. Yes, VanVleet was an NBA champion and former All-Star, but many experts and fans didn't view him as a difference-maker.

Although VanVleet's game is nothing flashy, his impact on the Rockets last season can not be understated. VanVleet has never been seen as one of the best playmakers in the NBA, but he flipped the script in the 2023-24 season.

VanVleet averaged a career high 8.1 assists after his previous high being 7.2 in 2022-23. It wasn't just the assist that was impressive as he averaged only 1.7 turnovers while playing the second most minutes per game of his career.

It was obvious from the first day of training camp that VanVleet was going to be the team leader. Throughout the season, Udoka had several different closing lineups at different times, benching starters late in games. The one starter Udoka never benched was VanVleet.

Udoka saw him as another coach on the floor, and VanVleet rewarded Udoka's confidence in him with the best playmaking of his career. When looking at a player's impact, it is more than just how many points they score or how many times they show up in highlights.

VanVleet impact on the Rockets offense was a big reason why they had their best turnover season in franchise history. During the rebuilding seasons, the Rockets were one of the worst teams in the league in terms of caring for basketball.

Phase two for the Rockets got off to a great start, and as we get closer to the new season, the next question is, will the Rockets set more records in 2024-25?

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