Regardless of the outcome, the 2024-25 season was an overall net positive one for the Houston Rockets. They finally saw their rebuild bear fruit, with their winning identity being built around grit, suffocating defense,

The Houston Rockets should be greedy. The team's remarkable trajectory went from 22 wins in 2022-23 to 41 last year, followed by 51 and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The learning experience through the first-round series by the Jimmy Butler-fueled Golden State Warriors has been invaluable (regardless of outcome),