It's been a rough stretch for the Rockets. Composite image by Jack Brame.
The Houston Rockets have lost their last five out of six games, including going 0-4 without Christian Wood in the lineup. Thursday night's loss versus the Miami Heat was deflating. A plethora of missed threes, bad offensive sequences, and three missed opportunities in the Heat's last possession of the game were big factors in the loss. In the Rockets' press conference, Stephen Silas' frustration showed because of another loss and two more injured players.
Silas apologized twice because of his short responses during his time with the media. The Rockets defense has still been stellar besides two blown-out losses versus the New Orleans Pelicans and Charlotte Hornets. As I dove deeper in the Rockets' losses, there was not enough impactful offensive opportunities. Victor Oladipo's efficiency is down, Wood is still limping from his ankle injury, and PJ Tucker's impact is questionable. Another thing that bothered me is the continuous nights of swap outs between John Wall and Oladipo.
There is an understanding of Wall and Oladipo's injury limitations. The last time the Rockets maxed out Wall's minutes it caused ACL soreness inside his knee. So, I understand the frustration Silas expressed when Oladipo and Tucker went out with injuries against the Heat. Hopefully, Wood can overcome his ankle injury soon.
Oladipo hasn't quite found his stride with the Rockets outside of two games. Coach Silas seems confident that Oladipo will turn it around.
"Victor's gonna get there. Hopefully, his injury isn't too bad. He is a big part of what we do, and one of the reasons we're top five defensively is because of Victor Oladipo," Silas said.
Oladipo's struggles could raise eyebrows in the Rockets' front office before the trade deadline.
The Rockets front office is open-minded, whether they end up flipping him … or whether they decide he is a piece that they want to move forward with," Tim MacMahon said on SNY.
Right now, Oladipo is shooting the three-ball at 29% with the Rockets, which is a career low. Oladipo's offensive rating is a 101.1 and hasn't been that low since his 2014-2015 year with the Orlando Magic. Is Oladipo's past injury affecting him? That could be possible, but Victor is still averaging 18.4 points per game. Oladipo's scoring is still shaky and non-impactful. His shooting efforts have become poor by shooting 38.6% from the field, including 44% in efficiency. Victor has struggled with his play making abilities with the Rockets. He isn't used to doing lobs or setting up teammates for easy opportunities. The "WOW" factor has been affected by injuries and not having enough reps together. Hopefully, Oladipo's injury isn't too serious, and he can turn it around shooting wise.
Another concern involves PJ Tucker and how his minutes have gotten out of control. Without Wood in the lineup, the Rockets scoring is limited. Although the Rockets show fight towards the end of games, they're 23rd in clutch scoring. Tucker cannot help the Rockets in momentum swings and clutch moments. He would be a better fit on a championship contender with multiple shooters surrounding him. Tucker isn't known for lighting up the scoreboard. His defense hasn't been good this season along with his poor shooting. PJ is shooting 38% from the field and his defensive rating became a career worse at 111.0.
As of right now, the Rockets need scoring as they are 24th in offensive efficiency in the NBA. Shockingly, as a team the Rockets are shooting 35% from three.
I want to see the Rockets' front office attack the trade deadline aggressively. Getting Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon could help the Rockets scoring efforts improve. If Houston can find a consistent closeout scorer, they could make a strong push.
Hopefully, Silas maintains his confidence with each player. He was dealt a bad hand in his first year as a head coach, but he's handled it well overall.
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With two series in the books, the Astros season hasn't gotten off to the start that they hoped. After a series win over the Mets, Houston was swept at home by the Giants, dropping their record to 2-4.
However, the club's early struggles fall squarely on the anemic offense, not the starting pitching. Which should make this disappointing injury update easier to handle.
The Astros announced on Thursday that Luis Garcia is dealing with inflammation in his elbow, and he will be shut down from throwing for four weeks.
Luis Garcia’s second opinion showed “inflammation in his right elbow,” according to the Astros. He will be shut down and reevaluated in four weeks, the team said.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) April 3, 2025
It's unknown exactly how many setbacks Garcia has sustained in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but that number has to be at least two, and likely more. There were reports last year that he might be able to return before season's end, but that never materialized.
And of course we have the hiccup this spring that has him unable to throw for the next month. Garcia had surgery in May 2023, so we're almost two years out from the surgery, which typically requires a 12-18 month recovery.
This development makes the return of Lance McCullers Jr even more imperative. On the bright side, McCullers seems to be doing well in his recovery, as he's scheduled for his second rehab start this Saturday at Double-A Corpus Christi.