[1] On April 10, 2023, the Houston Rockets fired head coach Stephen Silas after three rebuilding seasons with the team.
Despite losing breakout player Alperen Şengün to injury, the Rockets won 13 of their next 14 games, including an 11-game winning streak buoyed by career-best performances from star Jalen Green alongside one-time all-star Fred VanVleet and rookie Amen Thompson, which allowed them to rise to contention for the play-in tournament.
Their improved 38–35 record had them trail the Golden State Warriors by one game back from the #10-seed, but afterwards the Rockets fell into a five-game losing streak as the Warriors went on a winning streak of their own, resulting in their elimination from playoff contention for the fourth consecutive season following an overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks on April 7.
With their pick at 20, Houston selected small forward Cam Whitmore, who won the Big East Conference's Freshman of the Year Award for his only season at Villanova University.
[11][12] During the in-season tournament period, the Rockets competed in Group B of the Western Conference, which included the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Clippers, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Dallas Mavericks.