Why the Houston Rockets’ Early Success Could Be Fool’s Gold

The Houston Rockets have had an impressive start to the season with nine wins and only three losses. At that rate, Ime Udoka and his squad are on pace to reach the sixty-win mark for the second time in franchise history. However, some changes might need to be made in order for this team to guarantee success throughout the entire year. 

With Steven Adams only being on the court for eight minutes so far, there’s been a lot on the shoulders of Alperen Şengün. He’s handled it like the star that he is, shooting lights-out from deep and having fans on triple-double watch every night. Unfortunately, we’ve also seen him miss two games after his lower back was sore from carrying the load. 

Şengün is currently playing 35 minutes per game with a 9.6 plus-minus rating, both of which are career-bests. It’s safe to say he’s Houston’s focal point offensively. While it’s great to see his improvements, that also means this team could be in big trouble if he goes down again. 

With Clint Capela already missing five straight games, the Rockets’ center rotation has looked a little thin this season. A two-way player, Oscar Tshiebwe has already suited up in more than half of Houston’s matchups so far. He's actually played more than five times as many minutes as Steven Adams. 

On one hand, it is mighty impressive for this team to have this kind of success with the center rotation they’ve had at their disposal. At the same time, it speaks to the questionable roster construction from Rafael Stone and the entire front office. 

It was no secret that the Rockets had some concerning issues at that position, going all the way back to last season. There were no changes made at the trade deadline, nothing in the offseason, and now we’re in the same predicament. How long can we trust the process before changes need to be made? 

Sure, this team has already defeated the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets, who each have two of the most formidable big-men in the league  —— but what does that matter? The Rockets still need to prove that they can do it more than once in a single season, as covered on Roundtable.  

They couldn’t get the job done against Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves, plus they didn’t even face Chet Holmgren in the game against the OKC Thunder. There’s still plenty to prove, despite Houston being victorious in 75-percent of their games thus far. 

That makes this early-season success feel like fool’s gold, considering there’s still several underlying issues that have yet to be addressed. The center rotation is at the top of the list for me, but that won’t come back to bite them until it’s too late. 

Adams and Capela are beloved in Houston, but we saw the same thing last year. They’re paid $20 million and haven’t been able to contribute much for nearly a year now. As much as it would hurt, it feels like it’s time to cut bait with them before we get a repeat of last postseason. 

Related Articles from RocketsRoundtable:  

Steven Adams’ 2026-2027 Expectations With Houston Rockets 

Are the Rockets Going to Address Their Center Problem?

Is Sticking to the Status Quo the Right Move For Houston? 

Can Clint Capela Have a Bounce-Back Season in Year 13?

The Return of Steven Adams Can Bring Houston to Contender Status

Two Potential Upgrades Using Clint Capela's Contract