Rockets start 0-2, bottom of the Western Conference! A rough beginning to the Durant era: three major issues need addressing

Among all the anticipated ways the Rockets' "Durant era" might begin, "winless start" was never expected. After narrow defeats to the Thunder (losing by 1 point in double overtime) and the Pistons (losing by 4 points), the Rockets currently stand at 0-2, ranking last in the Western Conference.

Although the losses to the defending champion Thunder and playoff-qualifying Pistons were by single-digit margins, so panic is not yet necessary, these two games revealed core problems the Rockets must solve if they want to compete in the Western Conference.

“We have championship-level expectations, so we have to give our all every game,” said Rockets guard Amen Thompson. “You know, there will always be games where we don’t play well, but we’re still fighting for the win.”

The Rockets will host the Nets on Tuesday to conclude their first home series of the season, then begin a road trip facing the Raptors and Celtics. The Houston Chronicle analyzed three major issues observed in the first two games of this season—

1. Half-court offense remains sluggish

Throughout the preseason, Rockets head coach Udoka emphasized the roster’s “versatility” and “height advantage.” The team can play a “big lineup” to overpower opponents or use traditional or smaller lineups to pursue speed and shooting.

However, after two regular-season games, the Rockets face a dilemma: the “two-center lineup” yields better defense, while the “single-center lineup” produces higher offensive efficiency.

How to strike the right balance between these two?

“That’s why coaches get paid the big bucks—they have to make tough decisions like this,” Durant said. Last week, he signed a $90 million extension with the Rockets, becoming the highest career earner in NBA history.

He added, “Having a versatile team is definitely a good thing, but once you deploy different lineups, managing them becomes the coach’s toughest job. So we’ll stay patient, keep growing, and keep figuring things out. But on defense, we’ve been quite consistent.”

The final offensive play against the Pistons highlighted the Rockets’ offensive struggles. With 5.5 seconds left and down by 4, Udoka designed a play for center Alperen Şengün to move outside the three-point line. The Rockets’ two most reliable shooters—Sheppard and Jabari Smith Jr.—were positioned on either side of the arc. After Thompson passed to Durant, Şengün cut from inside to outside, but as time ticked away, Durant passed back to Thompson, whose three-point attempt missed.

Both the Thunder and Pistons rank among the league’s top defenses, but regardless of the lineup, the Rockets’ offense initiates plays too slowly, often missing mismatch opportunities and forcing rushed shots.

“We have to find the balance between when to speed up and when to slow down,” Durant said. “I think we’re figuring it out. The offense in the last two games hasn’t been what we hoped, but this is a process that needs gradual improvement. We’ll learn from these tough losses and get better.”

The Rockets’ starting lineup of Thompson-Durant-Smith-Şengün-Adams has posted a positive plus-minus in both games, meaning the team outscores opponents when they’re on the floor. Adams said the team is still working on timing their defensive rotations and finding the best offensive execution for this lineup, emphasizing that “simplifying the plays” is key on both ends.

Last season, the Rockets averaged 23.3 assists per game. In the season opener against the Thunder, they recorded 23 assists; however, in the second game against the Pistons, their 32 field goals came with only 15 assists.

“I think we held the ball too long,” Udoka said. “We should have actively drawn double teams to create open looks by exploiting our numbers advantage, with shooters spaced out. The Pistons are a team that defends tightly and initiates offense through pick-and-rolls. We got some good shot opportunities, but only 15 assists for the entire game, and many open shots were missed.”

2. Point guard issue still unresolved

Injured point guard Fred VanVleet returned to team training this week, but his on-court role remains indispensable—currently, Thompson and Sheppard are struggling to adjust to being the primary ball handlers.

In the first two games, Thompson averaged 14 points and 3 assists but also committed 3 turnovers. Although Şengün and Durant also help run the offense, Thompson is still adapting to handling the ball more than in the past two seasons.

“The current adjustment is learning to put teammates in the right spots, communicate with them, and act like Udoka’s second coach on the floor, but I’m still learning,” Thompson said. “I’m figuring it out, and I know things will get better.”

One of Thompson’s biggest challenges is that his best offensive form is attacking the paint and putting pressure on the rim, but the Rockets’ “two-center starting lineup” inherently limits spacing, forcing him to operate more on the perimeter.

Against the Thunder, Thompson went 0-for-7 on three-pointers, with five attempts in the first half. As the game progressed, he shifted to driving inside, shooting 6-for-7 in the paint. Versus the Pistons, he picked up four fouls in the first half, making him more cautious—of his 10 points, 6 came from free throws, and 6 of 8 field goal attempts were inside the paint.

“We want him to stay confident and find his comfort zone. The Thunder are a team known for strong help defense in the corner, and Thompson was targeted there,” Udoka said. “Sometimes we had open shots early in the shot clock but passed up, waiting until late in the clock for him to shoot. We’ve pointed out these issues, but he’s working on his three-point game and showed good form in preseason, so we want him to be more aggressive.”

Regarding Sheppard, the Rockets emphasize “aggressiveness” and “confidence.”This second-year guard scored 9 points in each of the first two games, showing more decisive decision-making at times, especially when catching and shooting threes, but he has yet to take control in critical moments.

Against the Thunder, all four of Sheppard’s assists came in the second half of regulation; in overtime, he scored no points, had no assists, and committed one turnover. In 20 minutes versus the Pistons, he recorded only one assist, three turnovers, and played just 5 minutes in the fourth quarter.

Sheppard has good defensive instincts and can anticipate passing lanes and help with steals, but his main weakness is his physique—opponents often exploit this mismatch when defending the Rockets.

“Of course, we can design tactics to protect him and handle specific matchups, and we are doing that,” Udoka said. “But at the same time, he needs to gain experience facing certain players and improve in this area. So we use traps, steals, and other tactics to protect players from bad matchups. As I said, he’s learning on the job, which is an important part of his growth.”

3. Need to get Durant more involved offensively

Although Durant scored 37 points on 9-of-18 shooting Friday, showing efficient impact, the Rockets are still figuring out how to maximize the new core’s role.

Against the Thunder, Durant was more of a “last option” than a “first choice”—most of his field goals came in the final 8 seconds of the shot clock and mostly outside the paint; in the fourth quarter and overtime, he shot 3-for-2 combined.

Despite opponents clearly focusing extra defense on Durant, and having a 15-time All-Star “clutch savior” is an advantage for the Rockets, the team still wants to create more touches for Durant in crucial moments.

“We have to be more decisive in initiating plays, setting screens, and teamwork to create open looks for him,” Udoka said.

With this in mind, the Rockets practiced screen plays at the end of training. In the game against the Pistons, they involved Durant earlier in the offense—of his 9 made shots, only 2 came in the final 8 seconds of the shot clock.