The Houston Rockets have had a remarkable week despite their recent loss in the NBA Cup semifinals to the Oklahoma City Thunder. With a current record of 17-9, they are positioned third in the Western Conference, showing significant improvement from last season's 41-41 finish.

Player development from their young core, including Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, along with Ime Udoka's defensive coaching, has been pivotal. Although ranked sixth in NBA.com’s power rankings, the Rockets face challenges with shooting efficiency, sitting in the bottom 10 for various shooting metrics.