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The Houston Rockets had the least productive bench in basketball this season. Whether that’s actually the bench’s fault is a different conversation.
It’s easy to see that stat and immediately think “lack of offensive talent” and start looking for new names to add this summer. However, when you look back at how Houston’s bench was viewed entering the season, it’s not so easy to make that case.
In July of 2025, Space City Scoop’s Will Eudy confidently wrote that Houston “might have just assembled the deepest second unit in the entire NBA.” Less than a year later, the Rockets bench finished dead last in points, field-goal percentage, and true shooting percentage, per StatMuse.
Somewhere between those expectations and the results, something clearly went wrong.
There is another number sitting right next to it that makes this conversation far more interesting. Houston also played its bench fewer minutes than any team in basketball. So, was the bench actually that bad, or did it never get enough opportunity to contribute anything at all?
The Rockets finished dead last in bench points with 2,267 across the regular season. They also finished at the bottom of the league in field goals made, field-goal percentage, true shooting percentage, and assists.
What stands out to me is how many of Houston’s reserves spent the year producing below what they’ve shown throughout the rest of their careers. Let’s compare.
Jae’Sean Tate is a career 7.5-point-per-game scorer with 20 minutes a night, but averaged just 2.8 points while playing fewer than nine minutes per game this season. Dorian Finney-Smith is a career eight-point scorer and finished at just 3.3 points per game with around 10.5 fewer minutes on the court. Even Josh Okogie saw his production jump from 4.5 points per game to 6.6 whenever he was moved into the starting lineup and given a larger role.
None of these players are stars, but the trend is hard to ignore. Several veterans spent the season playing reduced roles compared to what they have handled throughout most of their careers, making it fair to wonder whether Houston ever gave its second unit enough opportunity to establish consistency.
They do raise a fair question about whether anybody outside of Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason ever had enough consistency to settle into a role offensively. That’s where the conversation turns to Ime Udoka.
The Rockets spent most of the season riding their starters. Some of that was unavoidable with Fred VanVleet missing the entire year and Steven Adams going down in January. Houston was trying to win games while navigating injuries and a roster that constantly seemed to be changing.
Still, championship teams usually know exactly what they have coming off the bench by the time the postseason arrives.
If the Rockets truly believed this group couldn’t help them, then the front office deserves criticism for building it. But if the bench was as deep and versatile as many believed entering the season, then it’s fair to wonder whether it was ever given a shot to develop an identity in the first place.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
The Rockets absolutely need more production from their second unit next season. The numbers leave little room for debate there. Before Houston starts replacing pieces, it may be worth asking whether the league’s least-utilized bench ever received a fair chance to become anything more than an afterthought.
Finishing with the least productive bench in basketball is one thing. Finishing with the least-used bench in basketball raises a lot more questions than it answers.
Continue reading...
It’s easy to see that stat and immediately think “lack of offensive talent” and start looking for new names to add this summer. However, when you look back at how Houston’s bench was viewed entering the season, it’s not so easy to make that case.
In July of 2025, Space City Scoop’s Will Eudy confidently wrote that Houston “might have just assembled the deepest second unit in the entire NBA.” Less than a year later, the Rockets bench finished dead last in points, field-goal percentage, and true shooting percentage, per StatMuse.
Somewhere between those expectations and the results, something clearly went wrong.
There is another number sitting right next to it that makes this conversation far more interesting. Houston also played its bench fewer minutes than any team in basketball. So, was the bench actually that bad, or did it never get enough opportunity to contribute anything at all?
The Rockets finished dead last in bench points with 2,267 across the regular season. They also finished at the bottom of the league in field goals made, field-goal percentage, true shooting percentage, and assists.
What stands out to me is how many of Houston’s reserves spent the year producing below what they’ve shown throughout the rest of their careers. Let’s compare.
Jae’Sean Tate is a career 7.5-point-per-game scorer with 20 minutes a night, but averaged just 2.8 points while playing fewer than nine minutes per game this season. Dorian Finney-Smith is a career eight-point scorer and finished at just 3.3 points per game with around 10.5 fewer minutes on the court. Even Josh Okogie saw his production jump from 4.5 points per game to 6.6 whenever he was moved into the starting lineup and given a larger role.
None of these players are stars, but the trend is hard to ignore. Several veterans spent the season playing reduced roles compared to what they have handled throughout most of their careers, making it fair to wonder whether Houston ever gave its second unit enough opportunity to establish consistency.
They do raise a fair question about whether anybody outside of Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason ever had enough consistency to settle into a role offensively. That’s where the conversation turns to Ime Udoka.
The Rockets spent most of the season riding their starters. Some of that was unavoidable with Fred VanVleet missing the entire year and Steven Adams going down in January. Houston was trying to win games while navigating injuries and a roster that constantly seemed to be changing.
Still, championship teams usually know exactly what they have coming off the bench by the time the postseason arrives.
If the Rockets truly believed this group couldn’t help them, then the front office deserves criticism for building it. But if the bench was as deep and versatile as many believed entering the season, then it’s fair to wonder whether it was ever given a shot to develop an identity in the first place.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
The Rockets absolutely need more production from their second unit next season. The numbers leave little room for debate there. Before Houston starts replacing pieces, it may be worth asking whether the league’s least-utilized bench ever received a fair chance to become anything more than an afterthought.
Finishing with the least productive bench in basketball is one thing. Finishing with the least-used bench in basketball raises a lot more questions than it answers.
Continue reading...
