{"id":193911,"date":"2026-05-03T13:04:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T17:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=193911"},"modified":"2026-05-03T13:04:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T17:04:39","slug":"rockets-interviews-elimination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/03\/rockets-interviews-elimination\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets Interviews: Breaking Down First Comments After Elimination"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Houston Rockets\u2019 rollercoaster season ended on Friday night when they <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/02\/lakers-game-6-win\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">lost to the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>, 98-78. It\u2019s undeniable that the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/02\/rockets-game-6-nail-in-the-coffin-for-spaceless-offense\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Rockets\u2019 shooting woes<\/a> cost them the series. But what did the players and coach have to say about the season and series in their postgame interviews?<\/p>\n<h2>Houston Rockets Interviews And Clues For The Offseason Ahead<\/h2>\n<h3>Rockets Coach Stars in Interviews<\/h3>\n<p>The Rockets&#8217; front office has an important decision ahead concerning head coach Ime Udoka. His contract was described as <a href=\"https:\/\/defendernetwork.com\/sports\/professional\/udoka-extended-houston-rocket\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">long-term<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p>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 \u201choping that Fred and Steven come back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Udoka <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QpAk8fnJ2Is?t=355\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">elaborated further<\/a> on the absences of point guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vanvlfr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fred VanVleet<\/a> and center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/adamsst01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steven Adams<\/a>: \u201cLosing 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, the Rockets went the whole season without a real point guard on the roster. Backup <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/capelca01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Clint Capela<\/a> got <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/01\/25\/checking-in-on-rockets-once-key-center\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">extensive minutes<\/a> down the stretch, but no Adams meant no \u201cdouble bigs,\u201d which was a lineup that had become characteristic of Udoka\u2019s Rockets.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Steven Adams Dominating the Offensive Glass | 2025\u201326 Season\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HRpjP16m99w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The subject of \u201cuniqueness\u201d was something that Udoka acknowledged might need some correction as well. Specifically, he had <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QpAk8fnJ2Is?t=579\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this to say<\/a> about his conversations with general manager Rafael Stone: \u201cSome very interesting conversations on having a little bit more of a mix instead of some duplicates out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Presumably, the &#8220;duplicates&#8221; he&#8217;s referring to are the Rockets&#8217; extensive collection of wings, ranging from all-time great <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duranke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Durant<\/a> to bench veterans <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/f\/finnedo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dorian Finney-Smith<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/o\/okogijo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Okogie<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tateja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jae&#8217;Sean Tate<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>The Restricted Free Agent<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 800px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBWNyv0KR3\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 2108px; aspect-ratio: 2108\/1405;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p>The Rockets will have another decision to make on the future of one of those &#8220;duplicate&#8221; wings. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/easonta01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tari Eason<\/a> will be a restricted free agent this offseason. During the Rockets&#8217; interviews, Eason wasn\u2019t willing to comment on such discussions beyond <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QpAk8fnJ2Is?t=1358\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reaffirming<\/a> his love for and connections to the city.<\/p>\n<p>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 &#8212; 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/04\/05\/rejuvenated-wing-key-to-rockets-tardy-season-win-streak\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">late-season recovery<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Arguably, he had the same problems during the Rockets&#8217; playoff series as well. He shot 5-14 in Game 6, partially on a diet of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=394&amp;GameID=0042500176&amp;Season=2025-26&amp;flag=1&amp;title=MISS%20Eason%2015%27%20Fadeaway%20Jumper\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">difficult midrange jumpers<\/a>. There&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<h3>Leadership Comes Through in Rockets Interviews<\/h3>\n<p>Another locker-room energizer for the squad is All-Star center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sengual01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alperen Sengun<\/a>. Sengun was asked about whether he saw himself as a leader for this team and gave a <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QpAk8fnJ2Is?t=3262\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">definitive yes<\/a>, citing his experience with the Turkish national team in the summer. While self-proclaimed leadership isn&#8217;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, <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QpAk8fnJ2Is?t=3483\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">adding<\/a>: &#8220;I can get better at everything out on this court, and that&#8217;s what I&#8217;m going to do, and I expect the same thing from my teammates.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alperen Sengun&#039;s BEST PLAYS! | 2025 #NBAAllStar | 2024-25 Season\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4H9DMGWLeWM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Speaking of leadership, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompam01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amen Thompson<\/a> also praised Sengun in that regard. There was an interesting point of contrast between Houston&#8217;s young stars at one point in the interview. Thompson was <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QpAk8fnJ2Is?t=5027\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">asked flat out<\/a> what changes he&#8217;d like to see to the roster and wisely declined to answer. While the question might seem disrespectful, it&#8217;s hard to imagine Sengun not taking the opportunity to passionately defend his teammates.<\/p>\n<p>Trying to twist Thompson&#8217;s non-answer into his wanting roster changes would obviously be ridiculous. But it shows that the Rockets have two very different personalities they&#8217;re building around. A fire and ice dynamic has a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/04\/30\/did-steve-kerr-limit-draymond-greens-role-with-the-warriors\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">proven track record in leadership positions<\/a>. The fact that they were able to corral the team into <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/04\/26\/is-game-4-the-final-test-for-rockets-core-duo\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">fighting to avoid the sweep<\/a> says a lot about their potential.<\/p>\n<p>Houston has a tricky offseason ahead. As is usually the case, everybody in the Rockets interviews said all the right things. It&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p><span>\u00a9 Erik Williams-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Houston Rockets\u2019 rollercoaster season ended on Friday night when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, 98-78. It\u2019s undeniable that the Rockets\u2019 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5223,"featured_media":193912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,31,62,3],"tags":[4293,4703,3821,4475],"class_list":["post-193911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-rockets","category-nba","category-news","tag-alperen-sengun","tag-amen-thompson","tag-ime-udoka","tag-tari-eason"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5223"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193911"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":193947,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193911\/revisions\/193947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/193912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}