The Houston Rockets overachieved last season, and that success may have given them a taste of what they could accomplish with a bit more work. Head coach Kevin McHale is certainly hoping so, and he put his team on notice during a Las Vegas Summer League interview when he claimed that every Rocket not in the MVP race would need to improve.

“Everybody has to get 10 percent better on our team that’s not named James Harden,” said McHale on NBA TV. “I know a lot of people have the ability to do it but they don’t have the willingness to do it. I (also) know a lot of people who have the willingness to do it but not the ability. Our guys are willing and we got to help them become better.”

It seems to me that McHale is mainly referring to Dwight Howard here, because we all know this is a head coach who was once the greatest low-post player in the NBA. It must irk McHale at times that Howard has such an imposing physical frame and can’t harness it to achieve dominance on the block.

Harden would shock a lot of people if he got better next season, but it is certainly a possibility barring any injuries or setbacks. Players like Patrick Beverley, Terrence Jones and Trevor Ariza also come to mind when you consider McHale’s words, and it should be interesting to see if the Rockets’ offense relies heavily on Harden again next season. Shoot, he was an MVP candidate last year, but the Rockets’ offense sputtered at times in the playoffs when opponents could hone in on James.

The Rockets probably should’ve been eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers last postseason; however, maybe that taste of the Western Conference Finals could make them crave a shot at the NBA Finals. McHale is right, and Harden will need some help next postseason for the Rockets to get over that hump.

Dave Daniels is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter: @AllDave_AllDay, like him on Facebook here or add him to your network on Google.