The Houston Rockets were on the wrong end of a first-round stunner. Not because they were the lower seed. They weren’t. Not because they were overmatched. They weren’t. The Los Angeles Lakers, their opponent, were missing Luka Doncic for the entire series and Austin Reaves for most of it. On paper, the Rockets should have rolled.
Instead, they lost in six games. A 4-2 elimination that left more questions than answers.
Whenever a team with championship aspirations falls short, the instinct is to blow it up. Trade the superstar. Fire the coach. Start over. The Rockets have both a superstar and a coach whose seats should be scorching hot.
Kevin Durant is 37 years old. He played in only one of six playoff games due to injuries. He watched from various states of rehabilitation as his younger teammates fought and ultimately failed to extend the series.
Ime Udoka has now coached two consecutive postseasons that ended in disappointment. The first was a learning experience. The second was a failure. In most organizations, that’s enough to warrant a change.
But the Rockets are not most organizations. And according to a detailed ESPN piece from Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon, Houston is not planning to hit the reset button.
“Despite the loss, multiple high-level team sources still believe their young core can contend for the next decade. Those same sources said Udoka will remain an essential part of the team’s future. Durant too.”
That’s not a maybe. That’s a statement. The Rockets are running it back.
Let’s start with Durant. The numbers were never the problem. In 78 regular-season games, Durant averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. He shot 41.3 percent from three-point range. Those are elite numbers for any player, let alone a 37-year-old who has logged more than 45,000 career minutes.
The problem was availability. Durant missed five of six playoff games. A knee injury. An ankle injury. Two different setbacks at the worst possible time. The Rockets needed their superstar to carry them. He couldn’t. And that wasn’t his fault.
Durant is under contract for next season at $43.9 million guaranteed. He has a player option for 2027-2028. He’s not going anywhere unless the Rockets decide to move him. And according to the ESPN report, they have no intention of doing that.
The logic is sound. Trading Durant would signal a rebuild. The Rockets’ young core – Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. – is not ready to carry a team to a championship on its own. They need a veteran star to show them the way. Durant is that star, moodiness and all.
As for Udoka, his job security is more surprising. Two straight postseasons of underachieving would get most coaches fired. The Rockets finished fifth in the Western Conference. They lost in the first round. That’s not progress. That’s stagnation.
But the organization seems to believe that the circumstances excuse the outcome. Injuries to Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams. Durant’s playoff absence. The lingering distraction of the burner account scandal. Udoka navigated a season that was never normal.
The Rockets are betting that a full season with a healthy roster will produce a different result. They’re betting that Udoka learned from his mistakes. They’re betting that the young core is one year closer to being ready.
That’s a lot of bets. But in the NBA, continuity has value. Firing a coach after two seasons creates instability. Trading a superstar who still produces at an elite level is rarely the right move.
The Rockets have made the calculated decision to stay the course. Durant will be back. Udoka will be back. The young core will be a year older. And Houston will try again.
Here’s the bottom line: The Rockets lost a playoff series they should have won. It was disappointing. It was frustrating. It was a missed opportunity.
But it wasn’t a catastrophe. The window is still open. The talent is still there. And the organization believes that running it back is the right move.
We’ll find out next spring if they were right.