With third-year guard (and one-time Western Conference Player of the Week) Jalen Green taking on a starring role, the Houston Rockets had an 11-game winning streak during a 13-2 month of March.
At one point, the streaking Rockets came within a half-game of the Golden State Warriors for the final spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament to qualify for the 2023-24 playoffs.
Though Houston (41-41) couldn’t finish the job, they did post a 19-game improvement relative to the previous season, which was the most of any NBA team. With that in mind, in the 2024-25 season, Green and the Rockets are looking to kick in that postseason door.
In an Instagram story, Green posted on Friday:
Playoffs gonna be crackin’ with Houston in it next year
Jalen Green on IG: pic.twitter.com/mqBUSBdv4r
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) May 24, 2024
At a high level, the goal of 2023-24 for the Rockets was to get back to relevance, and they generally achieved that. For 2024-25, it seems they’re not shy on stating a higher goal.
As for Green, he’s eligible for a contract extension this offseason, though it could benefit the Rockets to delay those talks until 2025. More success at a team level would only help his cause.