Apr 6, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) stands on the court during a break in the action against the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
The expectations for the Houston Rockets coming into the 2025 NBA playoffs were mixed due to a variety of circumstances. While a second seed in any conference has high hopes heading into the postseason, Houston’s young core, mixed with its opponent, created the belief that this was going to be a tough first-round series against the Golden State Warriors. That is certainly a reality three games in.
The Warriors have given the Rockets trouble, and now they’re set to play the second game of their home stand up 2-1. After a loss that saw Golden State lose Jimmy Butler due to injury, the team bounced back with 36 points from Stephen Curry.
The Rockets are dealing with their own struggles, particularly on the offensive end. While they’re holding the Warriors to just 102.7 points per game in a gritty, defensive-oriented series, Houston hasn’t seen much on the other side of the floor.
Most of the team has struggled to show up on offense, but the most glaring issue has been the inefficiencies from Fred VanVleet. The point guard is averaging 11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.
Fred VanVleet has made 34 shots out of his last 137 attempts This is the worst stretch of games against one team from a player I have ever seen in the NBA
Here are his last 11 games against the Golden State Warriors: pic.twitter.com/NbDFI0PGPp
— 🌧️ (@w7stgoat) April 27, 2025
While VanVleet put up 17 points in Game 3, he still shot 5-for-14 from the field. Through the series, he’s shooting 26.8% from the field and 20.7% from three.
While he isn’t necessarily considered the best player on the roster, VanVleet is there to bring playoff experience to a young core that hadn’t seen the postseason. If there was anyone on the Rockets who could step up and look comfortable in high-stakes games, VanVleet’s name should be toward the top of the list.
Houston needs to get more out of its point guard moving forward. His defense has been solid, racking up five steals and a block through three games. However, the one thing he’s lacked is consistency on offense. VanVleet doesn’t need to score in crazy bunches, but higher percentages give the Rockets a better shot at winning the series.
The worst thing that could happen is Houston going down 3-1 heading back home. With Butler potentially available for Game 4, the Rockets will need more offensive firepower.
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