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<\/p>\nWe’re technically more than halfway through the 2025-26 NBA regular season, but with the All-Star break upon us, teams will soon be gearing up for the final portion before the playoffs. The Houston Rockets have 29 games left.<\/p>\n
At 33-20, they’ve had plenty of ups and downs for most of their year. The Rockets were actually the same record after 53 games last season, but were also 34-21 at the All-Star break. The hope was that they’d improve, but due to injuries and positional weaknesses, that hasn’t been the case.<\/p>\n
But there’s still time to make a major push and show the rest of the basketball world how much potential Houston has. The team is still fourth in the Western Conference, which is impressive in itself considering how talented the top nine seeds are. Here are three storylines to watch when games resume:<\/p>\n
Western Conference Seeding<\/p>\n
As much as the Rockets have been able to stay afloat in the West, this conference is so crowded that they’re just as susceptible to a drop as they are a dramatic rise. The third seed and seventh seed are separated by just three games at the moment. Before the break, Houston was 2-3 in their last five games, averaging just 101.6 points per game.<\/p>\n
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Dec 25, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) controls the ball against Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
With the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns on their tail, the Rockets need to make every game count down the stretch as No. 4 in the conference. They have to avoid a Play-In Tournament game and secure home-court advantage to give themselves the best shot at a playoff run.<\/p>\n
Can the Rockets Improve Without Key Positional Players?<\/p>\n
The biggest reason why Houston has faced so many struggles is because of its injury bug. So many rotation players have been out for multiple games, while Fred VanVleet (torn ACL) and Steven Adams (ankle surgery) are expected to be out for the season. There’s a small chance VanVleet could return, but Adams is done.<\/p>\n
Steven Adams appeared to injure his knee during Pelicans-Rockets. He was carried off to the locker room. pic.twitter.com\/uzVstev7vj<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The two are arguably just as crucial to the Rockets’ overall two-way performance as their stars, Kevin Durant and Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn. VanVleet is their only true point guard, able to facilitate and mitigate turnovers while being a pest on the other end. Adams is the main reason why Houston’s offensive rebounding percentage is a historic 39.9%<\/a>.<\/p>\n Without these two, the Rockets lack the supplementary role players to do the little things at a high level. Can they play up to part without VanVleet and Adams, whose absences have exposed some weaknesses?<\/p>\n