Rockets still have one frustrating stat that could tank their season

The Houston Rockets, as we near the quarter-mark of the 2025-26 season, have been undeniably one of the best teams in the NBA, establishing a formidable offensive and defensive attack with the addition of Kevin Durant to their roster.

Yet, in the absence of starting point guard Fred VanVleet, the team remains dead last in assist percentage and 20th in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio. Although they have found offensive success to this point in the season, they must also find major improvement in this area as the season wears on in order to stand a chance come playoffs.

While isolation possessions for Durant and Alperen Sengun have been effective sources of offense so far for the team, they must find other channels through which to manifest production if they hope to compete against the top teams in the Western Conference.

The Rockets need more consistent ball movement if they hope to compete

When VanVleet went down for the season with an ACL injury, many thought that the development meant absolute disaster for Houston given their lack of depth in the backcourt. So far, that has certainly not been the case, as Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson have given the team enough reliable production to ease any immediate concerns.

Yet, they still average the 12th-most turnovers in the NBA: a number that would be acceptable if they were also a dynamic ball-movement team. However, they most certainly are not, and their slow pace of play does not provide any indication that they will improve in this area.

A low assist percentage is not necessarily an indicator of a poor team. For reference, last year's Oklahoma City Thunder were 26th in the league in that category. Yet, they also had the highest assist-to-turnover ratio of any team in the NBA, and their ability to maintain their own possessions was a key ingredient in their success.

This season, both them and the Denver Nuggets are in the top six in the league in that category, and their ability to counter Houston's aggressive defense with offensive movement was evident in their matchups so far.

There is still significant time for this young Rockets team to grow, and, as Sheppard and Thompson gain more confidence as ball-handlers, Ime Udoka should be able to lean more into offensive sets that start with the ball in their hands.

Yet, if they are ultimately not able to overcome this weakness, it could spell disaster as they attempt to tackle the behemoths that the top of the Western Conference presents.