Rockets running into same issues that ended their season last year

The Rockets made their big swing last summer, acquiring Kevin Durant in hopes of fixing an offense that sputtered in the 2025 playoffs.

So far, the results haven’t followed.

As William Guillory of The Athletic details, Houston’s scoring issues have lingered into this postseason, even with Durant in the fold. After missing Game 1 with a knee injury, Durant returned in Game 2 and finished with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting — efficient on paper, but far from smooth.

He was hit with constant double-teams and turned the ball over nine times, tying his playoff career high.

The bigger issue has been everything around him.

Through two games against the Lakers, the Rockets have actually controlled possessions, attempting 44 more shots. It just hasn’t mattered. They’ve been outscored by 16 points and haven’t cracked 100 in either contest.

Efficiency has been hard to come by across the board. Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard have all struggled to convert, combining for rough shooting lines that have stalled any offensive rhythm.

Sengun didn’t dodge it afterward.

“I definitely need to be aggressive when I get the ball to the middle. I’m just missing so many easy shots,” Sengun said following Game 2, via Guillory. “I need to get back to who I am and dominate the paint … help KD a little bit and make my teammates better as well. … I’m not missing from long distance. I’m missing from under the rim. I’ve got to make those.”

The spacing hasn’t helped. Houston shot just 7-of-29 from three-point range in Game 2, and Sheppard — their top perimeter shooter during the regular season — logged only 11 minutes as he continues to try to earn the trust of coach Ime Udoka on the defensive end.

There are roster-wide questions here, too.

As Varun Shankar of Houston Chronicle notes, the Rockets simply don’t have enough two-way shooting. Dorian Finney-Smith was brought in to help on that front, but hasn’t looked like himself since returning from ankle surgery. Tari Eason has flashed, but inconsistency remains, going from a perfect 7-of-7 in Game 1 to 4-of-14 in Game 2.

Durant was supposed to raise the ceiling. He still might. But right now, the Rockets are running into the same problem that ended their season a year ago.