The Houston Rockets’ rollercoaster season ended on Friday night when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, 98-78. It’s undeniable that the Rockets’ shooting woes cost them the series. But what did the players and coach have to say about the season and series in their postgame interviews?
Houston Rockets Interviews And Clues For The Offseason Ahead
Rockets Coach Stars in Interviews
The Rockets’ front office has an important decision ahead concerning head coach Ime Udoka. His contract was described as long-term when he signed an extension with the franchise in the 2025 offseason. Even so, coaches are one of the easiest things to swap out in the modern NBA. If the Rockets want to make drastic changes to their offense, a new coaching staff would be the easiest way to do it.
Unsurprisingly, Udoka gave no insight into any such possibilities in his media availability. Instead, he had his own suggestions for the offseason. Considering the influence Udoka has had on the roster construction up to now, those could be significant should he stay put. First and foremost, however, was “hoping that Fred and Steven come back.”
Udoka elaborated further on the absences of point guard Fred VanVleet and center Steven Adams: “Losing a point guard is one thing, losing a big is one thing. We could probably absorb a wing better with our depth there. We lost two really unique guys, for what they do for our team.”
Indeed, the Rockets went the whole season without a real point guard on the roster. Backup Clint Capela got extensive minutes down the stretch, but no Adams meant no “double bigs,” which was a lineup that had become characteristic of Udoka’s Rockets.
The subject of “uniqueness” was something that Udoka acknowledged might need some correction as well. Specifically, he had this to say about his conversations with general manager Rafael Stone: “Some very interesting conversations on having a little bit more of a mix instead of some duplicates out there.”
Presumably, the “duplicates” he’s referring to are the Rockets’ extensive collection of wings, ranging from all-time great Kevin Durant to bench veterans Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Okogie, and Jae’Sean Tate.
The Restricted Free Agent
The Rockets will have another decision to make on the future of one of those “duplicate” wings. Tari Eason will be a restricted free agent this offseason. During the Rockets’ interviews, Eason wasn’t willing to comment on such discussions beyond reaffirming his love for and connections to the city.
Eason did offer some insight into his season, though. He cited maturity as a major area of growth for him throughout his fourth year in the league — in particular, his handling of shooting slumps. Eason started the season scorching the net from three. When that shot started to cool off, he struggled to stay within his game before a late-season recovery.
Arguably, he had the same problems during the Rockets’ playoff series as well. He shot 5-14 in Game 6, partially on a diet of difficult midrange jumpers. There’s no question that Eason is an energizer both on the court and in the locker room. Even so, the decision to keep him will probably come down to what other teams are willing to offer him.
Leadership Comes Through in Rockets Interviews
Another locker-room energizer for the squad is All-Star center Alperen Sengun. Sengun was asked about whether he saw himself as a leader for this team and gave a definitive yes, citing his experience with the Turkish national team in the summer. While self-proclaimed leadership isn’t much to go on, he did say something that stood out. Asked about what he wanted the Rockets to do this offseason, his answer was to work hard, adding: “I can get better at everything out on this court, and that’s what I’m going to do, and I expect the same thing from my teammates.”
Speaking of leadership, Amen Thompson also praised Sengun in that regard. There was an interesting point of contrast between Houston’s young stars at one point in the interview. Thompson was asked flat out what changes he’d like to see to the roster and wisely declined to answer. While the question might seem disrespectful, it’s hard to imagine Sengun not taking the opportunity to passionately defend his teammates.
Trying to twist Thompson’s non-answer into his wanting roster changes would obviously be ridiculous. But it shows that the Rockets have two very different personalities they’re building around. A fire and ice dynamic has a proven track record in leadership positions. The fact that they were able to corral the team into fighting to avoid the sweep says a lot about their potential.
Houston has a tricky offseason ahead. As is usually the case, everybody in the Rockets interviews said all the right things. It’ll be a long time before they can back it up with their play on the court, but they must approach the summer with a plan to make sure they can do so.
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