5 theories on why the Rockets seem to always lose these games

Houston blew another game late. Why does this always happen?

Good morning. I hope you're well. Let's basketball.

The Houston Rockets suffered another nightmare loss on Wednesday. This time, right there on ESPN for everyone to see, the Rockets blew two chances in regulation to take a super late lead and then gave up a 15-0 run in overtime to seal the win. Do you how hard it is to go on a 15-0 run in overtime? Apparently it's not impossible against the Rockets.

Yes, Houston was up 13. No Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert had fouled out in regulation, Naz Reid had been ejected (more on that down in Scores) and Houston was up 13 with three minutes left in overtime ... and lost. Incredible collapse.

Why? Why does this keep happening? We have five theories.

The Rockets still don't have a true point guard that Ime Udoka trusts.
Can we just Fred VanVleet over the situation? Here are the problems with this theory: Houston had this problem last season when Fred VanVleet was playing (and taking a bunch of these shots). That's why they went and traded for Kevin Durant! This was already a problem. The other issue with just excusing the failures on account of FVV's injury is that Reed Sheppard is viable and played most of overtime.

The Other Rockets aren't ready for the moment.
Last year, the Rockets had an enormous rise up the standings, which may have led us to believe too strongly in the readiness of the younger players like Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun and Tari Eason. As has been noted ad nauseam all season, if you send two defenders at Durant, the Rockets can't do anything. To wit: Durant had one shot attempt and zero points during the Wolves' rampage. Minnesota determined (as all opponents do) that someone else would have to beat them. Not Durant. And as happens too often, someone else could not beat them.

The Rockets are poorly coached on offense.
This is a real test of a team's inability to cherish the ball, by losing a clutch game against Minnesota with three of their six best players unavailable. But geez: Houston had another 8-second violation during the Wolves' run! HOW DOES THAT EVER HAPPEN? The turnovers that the Rockets commit in endgame scenarios might be the dumbest turnovers any good team has ever committed. This theory is related to the first one, of course, but also speaks to a general lack of attention to detail and accountability on offense. Ime Udoka has got to be feeling real pressure given how prone to mindless mistakes this team still is.

Those first three theories absolve the alpha. Let's pivot.

Kevin Durant isn't a bus driver.
What if Charles Barkley was right? What if Kevin Durant – one of the 10 greatest scorers ever born – is best suited as a No. 2 option? Fifteen years ago (!), I wrote about how in the Thunder ecosystem Russell Westbrook's elite shot creation ability ended up making Durant's offensive profile resemble that of Dwight Howard, Paul Millsap and Dirk Nowitzki more than that of top wings and guards. Durant is a legendary scorer who has relied heavily on being set up by teammates his entire career. Now, is that what Barkley means in calling Durant a rider instead of a driver? Or is it more personality driven? Has Durant ever had a deep playoff run without an elite lead guard (Russ, Steph, Beard) to help clear the way? Has Durant's on-court leadership ever been heralded?

Which leads us to the final theory ...