The Houston Rockets spent their offseason chasing improvements in the margins after last year’s headline-grabbing Kevin Durant trade, but the early verdict from CBS Sports wasn’t exactly glowing.
Contributor Sam Quinn handed Houston a “C-plus” for its work, pointing to a front office that made sensible moves without quite putting all the pieces together. Quinn’s main concern centered on how much the Rockets are counting on Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet to clean up last season’s issues.
“I’m a bit concerned with how much stock they’re putting into the returns of Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet to solve last year’s problems. These are both injury-prone veterans in their 30s. There are still long-term questions to answer, but most of what the Rockets just did makes sense,“ Quinn wrote.
Houston still landed among the better offseason groups in Quinn’s ranking. Only the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers were placed ahead of the Rockets.
One of the team’s biggest priorities was keeping Tari Eason in the fold, and the Rockets checked that box with a five-year deal that locks him in as part of the core moving forward.
The most notable new face is Marcus Smart, who arrived on a two-year deal. His familiarity with Ime Udoka could help, but it’s not the kind of move that automatically changes the team’s ceiling.
Udoka now has to sort through a backcourt that includes Smart and Fred VanVleet, and the fit could go either way. If the rotation clicks, Houston could find another gear.
If it doesn’t, the Rockets may end up paying for the experiment.
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Alperen Sengun Just Reached A Tense Point In His Rockets Rise
Alperen Sengun has already made the leap from promising young big man to consecutive All-Star, but the next step in his Rockets rise comes with a different kind of pressure. Entering his sixth NBA season at 23, he is no longer being evaluated as a prospect so much as a central piece of Houstons push to turn talent into real playoff progress, especially after a fifth season that brought some uneven stretches on both ends.
The Rockets know what they need from Sengun now: more consistency, cleaner decision-making and a steadier defensive presence as the young core tries to mature together. Marcus Smarts arrival in free agency only sharpens that expectation, giving Houston another veteran voice as it looks to build on recent postseason runs. For Sengun, the challenge is less about proving he belongs and more about showing he can carry the weight that comes with being one of the faces of the franchise. [Read more 🡒]
Fred VanVleet Just Sent Rockets Fans A Huge Message About Next Season
Fred VanVleets lost season still hangs over Houston, but the point guard is already looking past it. After missing the entire 2025-26 campaign with a torn ACL, he has been progressing well in rehab and is working every day as he gets closer to full basketball activity, a sign the Rockets may not have to wait long to see him back on the floor.
VanVleet now expects to be ready for Houstons first preseason game ahead of the 2026-27 season, which matters for a team that kept winning through injuries and still reached the playoffs. Even after a strong regular season ended with a first-round exit, his message to Rockets fans was bigger than recovery alone, with VanVleet voicing confidence that this group can make a real championship push next year. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Title Hopes May Hinge On One Missing Piece Around Amen And Sengun
The Rockets have spent the early part of this build trying to answer a bigger question than just how good Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun can become. The more interesting debate is whether those two can serve as the foundation for a title-level team if Houston finds the right structure around them, much like Denver did when it put its 2023 core in place. Sengun gives the offense a rare hub in the middle, Thompson brings the defensive versatility and connective play that can hold possessions together, and together they give Houston a real starting point.
What still hangs over the whole idea is the same issue that often separates a promising young team from a true contender: the Rockets need a creator who can finish games and bend defenses when everything tightens up. Rafael Stone and the front office are expected to keep looking for that kind of guard or wing, the sort of player who can take pressure off Sengun and Thompson and make the rest of the roster fit cleaner. Until Houston finds that missing piece, the ceiling feels exciting but unfinished. [Read more 🡒]