Shocked! The Rockets' biggest issue exposed! Starting forward made only 7 shots out of 41 attempts in six games.

Totally shocked, utterly stunned.

The Rockets fell 98-111 to the Kings, who are second from the bottom in the West, marking their third straight loss.

At present, the Rockets hold a 22-14 record, sitting seventh in the Western Conference and have dropped into the play-in tournament area, while Durant’s old team, the Suns, have moved up to the playoff zone with a 24-15 record.

Here are the Rockets' stats from the game:

Here are the Kings' stats:

Actually, the Rockets' biggest problem isn’t the absence of starting point guard VanVleet, but their poor spacing and weak shooting ability,averaging only 11.6 made three-pointers per game this season, ranking 25th in the league, with a slow offensive pace of 96.7 possessions per game, 28th in the league.They are not playing modern basketball at all.

Take the Rockets’ starting lineup in this game as an example: only Durant can punish opponents from beyond the arc, while the others are easily left open. The backcourt leader Amen still hasn’t developed a reliable shooting skill set; this is his third year, and so far he has made just 14 of 74 three-point attempts, shooting 18.9%.

As a regular starting forward for the Rockets, Smith dares to shoot but lacks consistency,making just 7 of 41 three-pointers in the last six games, a 17.1% shooting rate, including a 0-for-10 performance from deep against the Trail Blazers in the previous game.

Since the problem is obvious, the Rockets’ main target in the upcoming trade market should not be an All-Star guard, but rather a reliable shooter. Porter, currently available from the Nets, might be a good choice.

Porter is averaging 25.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game this season, hitting 3.7 three-pointers per game at a 39.7% clip. He was a key forward when the Nuggets won the championship in 2023, making him a suitable replacement for Smith. (Just kidding.)

There’s a common opinion outside that the Rockets could pursue Morant, whose shooting ability is roughly on par with Amen’s (20.8% three-point shooting this season)... If this guy actually joins, the Rockets’ offensive spacing would shrink even more, highlighting their weaknesses and making them easier to defend.

Durant is 37 years old and has no time for trial and error; his championship window with the Rockets is only two or three years.