Rockets 2024-25 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

Phase two of the Houston Rockets' rebuild paid off, though not quite to the extent they were hoping for.

After signing Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks in free agency last offseason, the Rockets improved their win total by 19 games from the 2022-23 season with a 41-41 record. A five-game losing streak late in the season pushed the team out of the play-in picture.

Houston was often mentioned in trade rumors this summer, but ultimately had a quiet offseason. The team did add Reed Sheppard with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA draft with the hope he can boost their three-point shooting as a rookie.

Head coach Ime Udoka helped establish a strong defensive identity in his first season with the club. The Rockets ranked ninth in defensive rating, their first time in the top 10 since 2017-18.

While much of the focus going into last season was on VanVleet and Brooks, the most encouraging performances for the Rockets were from Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr. and Jalen Green. Şengün and Green were the top two scorers on the team, with Şengün and Smith finishing first and second in rebounds.

If Sheppard can step in and elevate the Rockets' three-point shooting after they tied for 23rd in success rate (35.2 percent), they have the makings of a playoff contender in a loaded Western Conference.

2024-25 Rockets Schedule Details

Season Opener: vs. Charlotte Hornets, Oct. 23, 8 p.m. ET

Championship Odds: +8000 (bet $100 to win $8,000), per FanDuel

Full Schedule: The full schedule is available on NBA.com.

Top Matchups

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Rockets are still in the process of building a team that can compete for a title, so what better way to evaluate how far along they are than by judging them against arguably the best team in the NBA?

If you're just looking at teams on paper, it's hard not to think the Oklahoma City Thunder are the top team in the Western Conference. They were the No. 1 seed in the playoffs last season and likely got better by signing Isaiah Hartenstein to play center and acquiring Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls to take Josh Giddey's spot.

Houston and Oklahoma City split four meetings last season, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't play in the final game on March 27. The Rockets won that matchup 132-126 when they were in the midst of an 11-game winning streak.

Oklahoma City's 115.5 points per game was the fourth-best scoring average of any Western Conference team against the Rockets. The only teams ahead of the Thunder were the Dallas Mavericks (122.3), Golden State Warriors (120.0) and Utah Jazz (117.3).

Udoka will certainly use his experience from those games in an attempt to improve those numbers when the Rockets take on the Thunder.

It would be a huge surprise if the Rockets end up finishing ahead of Oklahoma City by the end of the season, but the head-to-head matchups will determine how far along in the process of becoming a playoff contender they really are.

Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles attempted to make a splash in free agency by going after Klay Thompson before he decided to join the Dallas Mavericks. Once that pursuit failed, the Lakers basically just ran things back with the group they had last season.

The biggest change made by the Lakers was the hiring of head coach JJ Redick. He has a huge task ahead of him navigating the spotlight of coaching the most noteworthy team in the league and biggest star in the sport.

Speaking of the biggest star in the sport, the primary reason to focus on a Rockets-Lakers game is because of what happens when Brooks shares the court with LeBron James. It's not only relegated to NBA games because Brooks tried getting in James' head during a Canada-Team USA game leading up to the Olympics.

It's not hard to envision a scenario in which the Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers are competing against each other for seeding in the Western Conference.

The Rockets got within 2.5 games of the Lakers during their 11-game winning streak in March. Los Angeles closed the season by winning five of its final seven games to secure the No. 8 seed and a spot in the play-in tournament. Houston lost six of its final nine games.

These two teams weren't far apart in the final standings last season. There's nothing to indicate they won't be fighting for position in the Western Conference once again.

Season Forecast

It feels like the Rockets' season is going to be determined by how much progress Şengün makes on the defensive end of the court.

For all of his improvements as an offensive player last season, Şengün remains a liability on defense. He drew the ire of Udoka at times last season for his negative impact as a defender.

There are so many high-level defensive players in place for the Rockets, but Şengün is the last line to the basket. If he can get closer to being just average on that end of the floor, Houston could make a significant leap up the standings.

Sheppard's ability to make an impact as a rookie will also go a long way toward solving another big problem the team had last season. He certainly lived up to his reputation during the summer league season.

The Rockets had a top-10 defense even with Şengün's issues, but they ranked in the bottom half of the league in points per game and offensive rating.

There's plenty of room for growth on offense thanks to the drafting of Sheppard, along with the continued development of Green and Smith.

The ceiling for Houston is very high if everything goes right for at least two of the three young players on the roster. The competition in the Western Conference is extremely intense, so the most likely outcome for the Rockets is slightly better than what they did last season.

Record Prediction: 43-39