Houston
Rockets

This late-season stretch was defined by a ruthless, hyper-efficient scoring clinic. Durant absolutely torched the nets on 02/26 vs ORL, dropping 40 points in 40 minutes to generate a massive +38.2 Impact score through relentless, high-volume shot creation. He was even more surgical on 03/10 vs TOR. Needing just 16 shot attempts to amass 29 points, he posted a +37.2 Impact score because he completely eliminated bad shots and punished every defensive rotation. Yet, even an all-time great has nights where the engine sputters. During the 03/16 vs LAL game, he managed just 18 points and two assists across 37 minutes. This passive outing resulted in a -3.6 Impact score, as his uncharacteristic lack of aggressive rim pressure and stagnant ball movement dragged down the entire offense.

This late-season stretch was defined by Alperen Sengun realizing his full potential as an offensive fulcrum, oscillating between absolute dominance and occasional bouts of erratic shot selection. He completely dismantled the defense on 03/23 vs CHI, logging a massive +37.4 Impact score by pairing surgical efficiency—hitting 16 of his 19 shots—with brilliant passing to finish with 33 points, 13 boards, and 10 assists. However, his aggressive mindset occasionally backfired when his touch abandoned him. During the 03/05 vs GSW matchup, he tallied a healthy 17 points and 7 assists, but his -5.1 Impact score revealed the hidden cost of empty possessions and forcing heavily contested looks to finish just 8-for-20 from the floor. Conversely, he found ways to salvage rough scoring nights through sheer effort and rebounding. On 04/07 vs PHX, a miserable 5-for-15 shooting night yielded only 12 points. Yet, he still squeezed out a +0.6 Impact in that contest by crashing the glass for 14 rebounds and keeping the half-court offense flowing with 6 assists.

Relentless, paint-collapsing rim pressure and two-way havoc defined this late-season stretch for Amen Thompson. He reached an absolute crescendo on Apr 10 vs MIN, dropping 41 points on 17-of-22 shooting to generate a staggering +25.9 impact score. That massive number stemmed directly from his unbelievable ability to finish through contact, yielding a dominant +45.1 offensive impact rating. His relentless off-ball movement and high-energy hustle plays drove immense value even when he wasn't the primary scorer, perfectly illustrated on Mar 29 vs NOP where a modest 14 points still yielded a +12.9 impact. Yet, his glaring lack of a jumper continues to create severe offensive friction against certain schemes. Despite scoring a solid 19 points on Apr 09 vs PHI, he suffered a brutal -7.4 impact score because his complete inability to stretch the floor allowed defenders to sag and clog the paint. He is a terrifying downhill force. However, that missing perimeter threat remains the only thing keeping him from total offensive mastery.

This late-season stretch was defined by extreme volatility, with Jabari Smith Jr. oscillating wildly between untouchable sniper and offensive black hole. He reached his absolute peak on 02/23 vs UTA. Dropping 31 points on a blistering 12-for-17 from the floor, his elite shot selection fueled a massive +27.2 Impact score. Yet, his tunnel vision frequently betrayed him, a flaw glaringly obvious during the 04/09 vs PHI matchup. Despite scoring a respectable 19 points, his abysmal 1-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc and complete failure to register a single assist dragged his Impact score down to a costly -5.7. Conversely, he occasionally found ways to salvage rough shooting nights through sheer grit on the glass. During the 04/18 vs LAL contest, Smith shot an ugly 5-for-14 from the field but still posted a stellar +19.6 Impact score because he relentlessly attacked the boards to grab 12 crucial rebounds.

This eleven-game stretch was defined by Adams's fluctuating role as a spot-starter, where he delivered a masterclass in doing the dirty work without demanding the basketball. On 01/16 vs OKC, he posted a massive +11.6 impact score off the bench despite scoring just six points. That outsized value came entirely from his relentless presence on the glass, as he vacuumed up 11 rebounds and punished smaller defenders in the paint. He offered a similarly bruising performance on 01/08 vs POR, logging a +7.2 impact while adding four assists to his 11 boards. However, his value plummets when he cannot establish that physical dominance. During a brief 14-minute stint on 12/24 vs LAC, Adams managed just four rebounds and two points, resulting in a dismal -7.5 impact score. As long as he is setting bone-crushing screens and controlling the boards, his total lack of scoring remains entirely irrelevant.

Extreme volatility and a jarring demotion to the bench defined this chaotic stretch of the season for Tari Eason. When his shot selection abandoned him, he became an active detriment on the floor. This was painfully obvious during the 03/13 vs NOP matchup, where he managed just four points on a dismal 2/11 from the field to generate a brutal -15.0 Impact score. His offensive disappearing acts reached rock bottom during the 04/10 vs MIN contest. Eason went completely scoreless in 24 minutes, posting a catastrophic -20.8 Impact because he offered virtually no offensive gravity to offset his utter passivity. Yet, just when you wanted to write him off, he would suddenly flip the switch into a highly efficient two-way terror. Coming off the bench in the 04/18 vs LAL game, Eason was flawless on his way to 16 points and 10 rebounds, hitting all seven of his shot attempts to post a massive +23.3 Impact score.

Wild inconsistency and erratic shot selection defined this late-season stretch for Reed Sheppard. He oscillated wildly between orchestrating offensive masterpieces and shooting his team out of games entirely. When he dialed in his playmaking, the results were spectacular, peaking on Mar 21 vs MIA when he dissected the defense for 23 points and 14 assists to post a massive +22.9 impact score. Yet, his trigger-happy tendencies often became a severe liability. On Mar 08 vs SAS, he tallied a respectable 17 points but registered a disastrous -19.9 impact score. That severe negative value stemmed entirely from atrocious shot selection, as he repeatedly forced contested perimeter looks early in the clock and derailed the team's rhythm. Fortunately, during the Apr 09 vs PHI matchup, he scored a measly 6 points but still salvaged a +0.9 overall impact. Instead of forcing bad shots, he relied on surprisingly stout point-of-attack defense (+5.0 defensive impact) to keep his minutes firmly in the green.

This late-season stretch was defined by a steep decline into deep-bench irrelevance for Clint Capela, interrupted only by a handful of bizarrely dominant flashes. His brutal -15.6 Impact score on 04/07 vs PHX captured his baseline struggles perfectly. He forced up five shots in ten minutes, bricking four of them, and his inability to secure more than three rebounds made him a massive negative on the floor. Yet, he occasionally found ways to tilt the game without scoring, as seen during a +7.5 Impact performance on 03/29 vs NOP. Despite managing just six points, Capela dominated the glass by hoovering up 14 rebounds in a mere 16 minutes to create crucial second-chance opportunities. Then came an absolute anomaly on 04/12 vs MEM. Thrust into the starting lineup, he exploded for 23 points and 13 boards—even hitting a rare three-pointer—to generate a staggering +26.8 Impact score by completely overwhelming the interior defense. Outside of those fleeting moments of vintage production, the veteran big man mostly looked like a player aging out of a nightly rotation.

Josh Okogie’s late-season stretch was defined by a jarring role change that ruthlessly exposed his offensive limitations. He initially thrived as a situational pest off the bench, locking down his primary assignment to post a +1.4 impact score despite scoring zero points on Mar 16 vs LAL. That relentless perimeter resistance eventually earned him a spot in the starting lineup. The promotion peaked on Apr 09 vs PHI, where he grabbed 11 rebounds and generated crucial second-chance opportunities on the glass for a massive +5.2 impact. However, the experiment crashed violently the very next night. Logging 27 minutes on Apr 10 vs MIN, Okogie suffered a catastrophic -11.9 impact score because his complete offensive futility—failing to hit a single field goal—allowed defenders to entirely ignore him and ruin the team's spacing. While his hustle remains valuable in microscopic doses, asking him to play heavy starter minutes is a clear recipe for offensive stagnation.

This late-season stretch was defined by a brutal, prolonged offensive freeze that made Aaron Holiday nearly unplayable off the bench. The wheels completely fell off during the 03/11 vs DEN matchup, where he hoisted up terrible looks to finish 1-for-10 from the field, dragging the second unit down with a miserable -17.0 impact score. Even when his perimeter shots actually fell, his minutes often hurt the team. During the 03/20 vs ATL game, he hit three triples for 9 points but still posted a -7.2 impact, as his lack of playmaking and defensive lapses bled away any value his scoring provided. He finally found a brief rhythm on 04/07 vs PHX, tallying 12 points on sharp 4-of-6 shooting to earn a rare +2.7 impact score by providing a genuine, efficient offensive spark. Unfortunately, that flash faded quickly. He closed out the stretch with an empty cardio session on 04/18 vs LAL, missing all four of his shots and grabbing zero rebounds to record a catastrophic -18.6 impact.

Jae'Sean Tate spent the late winter and early spring of the 2025-26 season marooned at the end of the rotation, battling irrelevance in a string of empty-calorie cameos. During a brutal 04/01 vs MIL appearance, he posted a dismal -14.4 Impact score after failing to record a single counting stat in three minutes of pure cardio. His brief stints were consistently dragged down by offensive invisibility and a complete inability to generate secondary statistics. Even when he found the bottom of the net on 02/19 vs CHA, hitting three of his four shots for seven points, his Impact still sat in the red at -1.8 because he failed to secure a single rebound. Relief finally arrived when he was thrust into the starting lineup on 04/12 vs MEM. Given a massive 26-minute leash, Tate racked up 13 points and six boards, earning a +2.8 Impact score by pairing efficient finishing with relentless hustle and defensive disruption. Unfortunately, that lone bright spot was a jarring anomaly in a stretch where his aggressive energy rarely translated into winning basketball.

JD Davison spent the vast majority of this nine-game stretch buried at the end of the rotation, struggling to find any rhythm during brief cameos. His 01/19 vs NOP appearance set a bleak tone for the winter. He missed both of his shots in four minutes, generating a dismal -11.4 impact score due to complete offensive invisibility. Even when given a longer leash on 02/07 vs OKC, his relatively high eight points in 18 minutes still resulted in a -5.4 impact score. That night, a glaring lack of playmaking dragged him down, as he managed just one assist and failed to organize the second unit. Everything finally flipped during a heavy workload on 04/12 vs MEM. He suffered through an ugly 2-for-9 shooting night, yet his relentless energy drove a massive +6.7 impact score. By ripping down 10 rebounds and distributing 7 assists in 26 minutes, Davison found a way to dictate the game's flow despite the meager scoring output.

This twelve-game stretch was a harsh, undeniable fade into irrelevance for the veteran forward. He briefly found a rhythm on 03/06 vs POR, posting a +2.2 Impact score despite scoring just five points because he crashed the glass for five rebounds and generated crucial extra possessions through gritty hustle. That spark vanished immediately on 03/08 vs SAS. Even though he chipped in eight points on highly efficient shooting, his defensive lapses and inability to secure the boards dragged his Impact down to -3.4. His minutes plummeted shortly after, and by the time he played on 03/21 vs MIA, he looked completely lost. He logged a disastrous -14.5 Impact score in just 14 minutes, offering nothing but empty cardio and blown rotations while missing both of his field goal attempts. When your primary value is being a reliable three-and-D wing, offering zero offensive punch while bleeding points on the other end guarantees a permanent spot at the end of the bench.

Father Time finally caught up to Jeff Green during this brutal ten-game stretch, reducing the veteran forward to a mere offensive liability at the end of the bench. His jumper completely abandoned him. On 03/11 vs DEN, Green logged eight empty minutes and missed all three of his attempts from beyond the arc, generating a dismal -11.0 impact score. His total inability to hit perimeter shots ruined the floor spacing for the second unit, making him an active detriment whenever he checked into the game. Things hit rock bottom on 04/03 vs UTA, where another scoreless outing dragged his impact down to a staggering -16.2. Even when given an extended 24-minute run on 04/12 vs MEM, Green could not salvage his rhythm. He managed to scrape together six points and five rebounds, but his atrocious 2-for-8 shooting night yielded a terrible -12.7 impact score due to the sheer volume of wasted offensive possessions.