Rockets bullish, will 'come back better' after first-round exit - ESPN

HOUSTON — A dejected Jalen Green grabbed Amen Thompson in the locker room just as he walked past after the Rockets' Game 7 loss on Sunday and quietly expressed his love for him.

Two days later, coach Ime Udoka and general manager Rafael Stone expressed similar sentiments toward the entire Houston roster, as the team plots its next steps after its first playoff appearance in five seasons ended in the first round at the hands of the Golden State Warriors.

«We've become more consistent, and that was a big goal of ours going into the season,» Udoka said Tuesday during the team's season-ending news conference. «We've taken steps. That showed not only in our record, but guys' growth and understanding. We always want more — selfish, greedy, whatever you want to call it as a coaching staff and as a team. So, [we're] not happy with how it ended, feel like we should still be playing. But a lot of learning experience there that'll help us going forward.

»Everybody's goal is to be better and come back better. That was the message that we went away with. The things we've done that got us to this point [are good], but we all have to come back better, and this is a huge offseason for everybody."

The Rockets enter the offseason armed with plenty of assets stockpiled over the past five years and a roster teeming with talented young players in Green, the 2021 No. 2 overall pick; first-time All-Star Alperen Sengun; Thompson, who was the fourth overall pick in 2023; and Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 overall pick in 2024. They find themselves weighing whether to acquire a legitimate offensive engine via an offseason trade to take the next step in their ascension, or stand pat and continue to develop what's in front of them.

Stone said that team