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What I saw from a courtside view of the Rockets bench
At some point on this last Rockets' road trip — I'm pretty in Memphis — Kevin Durant came up to the waiting media members in the locker room and told them to make sure to write about Houston's good vibes.
It wasn't the first time the star forward pushed back on what he sees as unfair scrutiny around the Rockets' vibes. He called himself an easy target for that from "roaches" and "vultures" in mid-March.
Vibes are a hard thing to write about and need to come with clear caveats: I'm around the team more than most but still outside of practices, meetings, shootarounds etc. Teams are incentivized to present united fronts, both in interviews and in their interactions while media is around. Interpersonal relationships are also often too nuanced to distill into one-word descriptions.
With all that being said: the vibes in Houston seem pretty good? The game in Memphis — two nights after the Rockets' collapse in overtime against the Minnesota Timberwolves — was an interesting example.
The Grizzlies seat media at court level, a row behind the scorer's table. My seat put me mere feet away from the Rockets bench. I took advantage of the opportunity, focusing on interactions between players and coaches on the court and in timeouts.
Everything looked normal. Players were engaged in coach Ime Udoka's huddle and cheered for their teammates. At one point, after Alperen Şengün committed a turnover, he came to the bench and immediately took responsibility for it.
Udoka looked like himself, hyper-competitiveness leading to discontent with poor plays a generally intense atmosphere. That can be difficult, but as Fred VanVleet said on a podcast, that's only Udoka's personality in games. The rest of the time, the coach is lighthearted and makes it feel like your big brother is coaching the team, the guard said.
Another insight into Houston's vibes came after Wednesday's win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason have flip-flopped starting roles in recent weeks, but it hasn't affected their relationship.
"Me and Tari have talked to each other and neither one of us care who starts as long as the game is just going good. It doesn't matter to us," Sheppard said. "We just want to win and play the game so it doesn't matter."
The guard recalled similar conversations Eason and he had at shootaround on either half of Houston's back-to-back. Eason started the first time and Sheppard the second.
"We both kind of had the same response that was just like, 'Hey, it's your turn. Go do what you do. Be aggressive. Go out there and make an impact.'
Again, players are incentivized to say nice things about teammates when the cameras are on but those words still hold value.
The Rockets' good vibes aren't always rosy of course. The team's mood clearly dims after losses, but shouldn't that be the case for a competitive team with high aspirations? Would it be better if they seemed unfazed by the defeats?
 | Varun Shankar, Rockets Beat Reporter |
Rockets "not banking" on a Fred VanVleet return
Even with a mere six games left in the regular season, the Rockets have still not ruled Fred VanVleet out from his torn ACL. The veteran guard recently passed the six-month mark from his injury and continues to do on-court work but has yet to be cleared for contact.
Udoka did note that VanVleet doesn't have to return by the end of the regular season to play. Houston isn't banking on his return but the further the Rockets go in the playoffs, the better chance VanVleet has to return.
"As always it's tough to get thrown in, even at this point in the season, let alone a tough playoff series being your first basketball in six, seven months," Udoka said. "And so, we'll see."
Recognizing Jeff Green's role
Jeff Green was one of the 12 finalists for the NBA's 2025-26 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award.
The 39-year-old earned praise from his former coach with the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers, Doc Rivers.
"Every year he should be [nominated] … He's the best. Still talk to him a lot," Rivers said. "Whoever started naming him Uncle Jeffy or whatever, he's been that since he has come in the league. … Him and DeAndre Jordan are still playing and they're playing more because of who they are than what they can do.
"They both can probably get on the floor and help a team, but they're literally on the teams because of who they are and how they can help the coaches and their teammates. And so it's pretty impressive, both of those guys, and I'm not surprised that both of them are still doing it."
Green got in the game late in Houston's win over the Pelicans and hit a deep fadeaway bank shot — check out the bench reaction if you want to understand why he's nominated.
"Great on him at his age to be able to get up, get out and get moving that quickly and making those shots," Udoka said. "Credit to him — honestly, testament to him staying ready and practicing those shots."
Worth a read
- 🦌 Observations from the Rockets' win over the Bucks, including thoughts on Josh Okogie's ability to stay consistent despite a changing role. Also recorded a video about Houston's solid late-game execution against doubles to Durant.
- ☄ The Houston Comets are back and former star Cynthia Cooper-Dyke couldn't be happier. Check out her reaction to the news, which gives her legacy a home.
- 🗽 The Rockets put Eason in the lineup to tweak their matchups against the Knicks. How'd it go?
- 🏀 Eason seems to have rediscovered his game after a brutal stretch. From New Orleans: His and Şengün discussed a team meeting that helped Eason re-center.
- ⚜ The Rockets didn't play down to competition. Şengün led the way as they stomped the New Orleans Pelicans.
- ⚾ Baseball is back. Stay informed on the Astros by signing up for our Inside Pitch newsletter.
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Q: Based on how the season played out, how do the Rockets approach next year. Is the vibe from the office "if everyone is healthy we're good"? – u/pickel0 on Reddit.
A: I don't know what the Rockets will do but this season showed there are issues beyond the injuries alone. My initial thoughts on how they should approach the offseason are as follows.
I'd look for an assistant coach who specializes in offense to bolster Udoka's bench, someone who can make Durant and Sengun's lives easier. I wouldn't trade any of the true core pieces — Durant, Sengun, Thompson, Smith Jr. — yet. They deserve a chance with a healthy squad.
I'd try and build a package around some of the team's cache picks — not the 2027 Brooklyn swap — along with salaries built around Dorian Finney-Smith's contract, which essentially becomes an expiring deal because there's no guaranteed money after the 2026-27 season.
Could you land a high-level wing shooter with ability to create off the dribble, perhaps someone like Corey Kispert? He'd come with potential defensive concerns but it is evident that Houston just doesn't have enough reliable shooters or offensive creators. If you want to torture yourself with alternative timelines, look at what Nickeil Alexander-Walker is doing for the Hawks and his contract. Hint, it's not too dissimilar to Finney-Smith's.
I also would let Eason test the restricted free agent market and would only match a contract if it was remarkably cheap — which could happen after this recent slump.
I just think it's neat!
Every NFL film cut up includes two views, one showing an overhead perspective and another from the end zone. I wish we got the baseline view of his Amen Thompson pass because my-oh-my he fit this into a tight window.
The Thompson-as-point guard experiment has had its ups and downs but there are still so many flashes that make me think it is worth continuing to explore.
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