Steve Nash Comments on the Potential of the Houston Rockets

Two-time NBA MVP and Hall of Famer Steve Nash recently praised the Houston Rockets, adding that the league might be sleeping on how high this young core can climb.

The Western Conference is currently dominated by the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, but the Rockets are in a great position to become true contenders and challenge their dominance.

Nash highlighted Houston’s dynamic combination of emerging young talent and veteran leadership under head coach Ime Udoka.

With relentless hustle, a top-tier defensive mindset, and physical depth, the Rockets have evolved from being a rebuilding experiment into a legitimate Western Conference threat. However, as Nash observed, the success of the ambitious franchise must improve its perimeter efficiency and consistency.

Houston’s offense last season fell short often due to unreliable perimeter shooting and severe spacing deficits. Opposing defenses routinely packed the paint by sagging off non-shooting threats. This allowed them to clog the driving lanes, neutralize interior scoring, and force weak perimeter shots.

Looking to improve on the team’s perimeter shooting, the Rockets made an intelligent coaching move by hiring Chip Engelland, widely known as "Shot Doctor." Engelland built a legendary reputation over nearly two decades with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, famously transforming the mechanics of stars like Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, and Lu Dort.

In Houston, Engelland’s primary focus will be focusing primarily on improving the shooting development of the team’s two primary offensive engines: Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson.

Thompson is already a great playmaker and an elite defensive menace; however, Thompson’s offensive ceiling has been limited by an inconsistent outside jumper. Engelland has been working closely with Thompson on smoothing out his kinetic chain, stabilizing his balance, and establishing a fluid, repeatable release point. If Thompson can force defenses to respect him beyond the paint, his driving lanes and playmaking opportunities will open exponentially.

Engelland is also refining the touch of Turkish center Alperen Şengün. While Şengün already possesses exceptional footwork, vision, and post scoring, stretching his shooting range outward into a dependable option will elevate Houston’s offense.

Ultimately, this player-development focus bridges the gap between regular-season promise and championship viability. As Steve Nash pointed out, Houston possesses the defensive toughness, talent density, and coaching leadership required to compete in a brutal Western Conference.

If Engelland’s targeted work on Thompson’s and Şengün’s shooting mechanics reaches even league-average perimeter efficiency, the Rockets will have solved their greatest limitation and be able to become a truly terrifying, multi-dimensional offense.