A fatal mistake the Rockets must correct at the 2025 NBA trade deadline

The Houston Rockets have arrived. It is so clear. After three years of rebuilding, the Rockets managed to return to relevance last season, threatening a playoff spot despite losing Alperen Sengun to injury. Now they’ve taken the next step, growing into a full-fledged contender as they sit pretty much second in the Western Conference standings at 25-12 after huge win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Rockets have been coming together so well over the past few seasons, with almost all of the pieces they’ve added over the past few years fitting pretty well into the puzzle they’ve been building. Jaylen Green and Alperen Sengun were the pillars of 2021, but Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson also fit the team’s identity to a T. Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks were the perfect veteran additions to cement the team’s identity as a defense-first team, as it currently is. third place in the association in points allowed per 100 possessions (107.0).

At this point, the Rockets don’t have to do anything to rock the boat; they’ve organically built a formidable fighting team that still has plenty of room to get better. However, teams can never take their battle windows for granted. The Rockets franchise, of all teams, should know that. And they could very well increase their championship equity if they can fix what could be a fatal mistake for them in the postseason.

The Rockets need a better offensive floor on a game-by-game basis

At first glance, the Rockets’ offense isn’t exactly in desperate need of improvement. Their offense ranks 11th in points scored per 100 possessions, which isn’t bad considering how elite their defense is. Their net rating of +6.2 ranks fifth in the leaguewhich places them among the legitimate champions in the alliance.

However, a deeper dive into the Rockets’ offense suggests this could be an area of ​​use for them come the playoffs. The game is slower in the postseason, which means more half-court sets and fewer transition opportunities, and every possession counts in the hunt for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Alperen Sengun is key as the number one option in attack; Sengun post-ups and handoffs can generate a ton of downhill action and easy rim shots, after all. But in today’s NBA, perimeter scoring in the postseason comes first. The past few NBA champions have had excellent perimeter shooters to rely on on a nightly basis, and the Rockets’ top threats may be too ineffective for the job.

Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green are too prone to ineffective shooting nights, and as opposing teams get even more pressured in the playoffs, the Rockets will have to work double or triple as much as their opponents just to put up points. At the very least, Houston has shown it can outplay its opponents; they lead the league in offensive rebounding percentage, which then results in leading field goal attempts per night. They are also very careful with basketball, because they are in sixth place in turnover percentage.

But it won’t hurt the Rockets to at least raise the ceiling a bit for creating offensive shots, especially now that they’ve taken on the status quo. This does not mean that Houston has to trade for Jimmy Butler, because that maneuver would cost the Rockets a lot of assets that they might not be ready to part ways in the middle of the season. But adding another player who could create offense for the team when the game gets stuck can be helpful.

Is CJ McCollum worth it?

It’s almost a guarantee that the New Orleans Pelicans will be on the market amid another injury-riddled season. And to that end, maybe CJ McCollum could be on the move again. Maybe it is The Rockets can be inserted into the McCollum trade talkbecause this potential trade shouldn’t cost them a lot of funds anyway.

McCollum has plenty of playoff experience, which can’t be said for most players in the Rockets’ rotation. Creating shots from the perimeter has long been the 33-year-old’s forte; he is currently averaging 22.1 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent from deep. In fact, he makes 3.1 3-pointers per game, which would lead the Rockets.

McCollum may not be a game-changing piece to carry the Rockets over the championship hump, but he can provide a ton of utility for a Rockets team that can benefit from a higher level of offensive production.