The Houston Rockets are walking a tightrope in 2025, balancing a gritty playoff push with an eye on the future.
As the regular season comes to a close, wrapping up April 13, they’ve fought their way into contention in the Western Conference, well removed from the lean years after their mid-2010s championship peak.
Having selected Maryland center Derik Queen with the 10th selection of the 2025 NBA Draft. This two-pronged attack of competing today and constructing tomorrow is a fresh start for a franchise that has had its fair share of ups and downs.
The Turnaround in Motion
This season, the Rockets have depended on a remade roster and a clear identity. Scoring binges from Jalen Green and playmaking in the paint from Alperen Sengun have fueled a turnaround, the team lingering near the cutline for the play-in tournament. Coach Ime Udoka‘s no-nonsense system has brought discipline, a departure from the craziness of the past few seasons. They’re not contenders for the title, but they’re tough enough to snatch a playoff spot, a consideration that was inconceivable during the dark days of the 2021-22 debacle when they managed only 20 victories.
Enter Derik Queen, a 6’10” big man with soft hands and inside-scoring instincts. He is viewed by analysts as the ideal complement to Sengun for Houston, adding frontcourt depth.
Queen isn’t a rim protector like a few of the Rockets’ recent centers, yet his floor-stretching and passing from the post might open up new wrinkles in Udoka’s offense. The mock draft isn’t certain, Houston’s pick is via trade, and their end-of-season standing could alter the slot, but it’s a sign the front office, led by Rafael Stone, has its eyes on the future even when the team battles for April basketball.
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A Shift from the Past
This strategy truly feels like a pivot from Houston’s past. Flash back to the James Harden years, the Rockets’ glory days between 2017 and 2020.
During that time, it was all-in, all the time. Daryl Morey, then the GM, traded picks and players like poker chips, seeking a title with Harden’s iso-heavy offense and Mike D’Antoni‘s pace and space.
The 2017-18 team, led by Chris Paul‘s strings-pulling, won 65 games and were a hamstring tweak away from taking down Golden State.
Draft picks? A remote afterthought, Houston traded them for veteran talent such as Paul and Russell Westbrook, all-in on the moment. It was exciting, but when the wheels came off in 2020, the cupboard was bare.
Rebuilding vs. Competing
Post-Harden, the Rockets hit reset. The early 2020s were lean, tanking for high draft picks such as Green and Jabari Smith Jr., betting on youth over short-term wins.
That was the era of stockpiling talent, not competing. The 2025 plan is a compromise: draft to build, but don’t give up on the season. Contrary to the Morey era, Stone is keeping picks and shrinking the roster with under-the-radar free agents, think the 2023 signing of Fred Van Vleet, not mega trades.
It’s less flash, more incremental, and a compromise towards sustainability instead of boom or bust.
What’s Next for Houston
Queen is a good match for this vision. He’s not a Harden-type star to be the sole carrier of the franchise, but he’s a fit that fits in alongside the core.
Think of Sengun passing to Queen for a midrange shot or Green slashing with Queen setting screens, small plays that accumulate in the long run. It’s a universe away from Harden step-back threes or tanking days of hoping on lottery stars.
The Rockets aren’t chasing 60 wins like they were in 2018, nor are they tanking. They’re aiming for the middle ground: a playoff berth now, a foundation down the line. Will it work? Well, the West is ruthless, Denver, Oklahoma City, and Golden State aren’t slowing down or willing to give a break. A play-in opportunity is far from certain, and Queen won’t be here until 2026. But this mix of now and later is appropriate for a franchise worn out from extremes.
The Rockets’ 2025 plan is not to relive the past or fantasize about immediate salvation. It’s to take baby steps in the right direction, something Houston hasn’t experienced in a long time. For a franchise that’s known the best and the worst, that may be sufficient.