The Houston Rockets Are Buying In And Showing Out

The Houston Rockets opened the season with a blowout loss in Orlando, but since then have steadily found their footing and are currently riding a four-game win streak. The last three of those wins have been of the blowout variety against the Kings (twice) and most recently the Lakers.

In those games, they’ve shown an impressive level of buy-in to what Ime Udoka is asking of them, as their homegrown young talent and this offseason’s veteran additions are building chemistry quickly. Defensively, they’re taking advantage of their length and athleticism, applying pressure to opponents at every level, but do so smartly. They’re near the bottom-five of the league in both steals and blocks despite having a number of long-armed perimeter and wing defenders, but they appear vastly improved when it comes to positioning and avoiding breakdowns (in part because they aren’t gambling so much trying to create turnovers).

There’s some noise in all early season stats, especially on defense, and how they hold up over the long haul will certainly be something to watch. But for a team that looked aimless on both ends of the floor an awful lot of the time the last three years, having an apparent foundation and seeing guys buy into structure is a big deal for Houston. On offense, the same thing is happening. What was once a group of talented individuals is becoming a cohesive group that’s on the same page, and over this winning streak they’ve looked nothing short of spectacular.

A lot of it starts with VanVleet, who brings them the steady-handed point guard they simply haven’t had over the past three years. His ability to see the floor, control the pace, and set up teammates with easy baskets is a huge boost for this offense in terms of being able to be consistent. VanVleet and Alperen Sengun already have a terrific connection in the pick-and-roll game, and the Rockets young wings are learning how to cut into space with aggression, knowing if they find a void their veteran guard will feed them the ball.

VanVleet is leading the team with 8.4 assists per game, which is nearly three more per game than they were getting from Kevin Porter Jr. in that role a year ago — with VanVleet also having half as many turnovers per game. However, a more fluid Rockets offense only starts with VanVleet as a floor general. Houston is also embracing Sengun’s playmaking much more, embracing his passing ability and leveraging that in a number of areas. Whether it’s in the short-roll, handoff action, surveying the floor from the top of the key, or operating out of the high post, Sengun’s versatility as an offensive playmaker, both as a scorer and passer, has opened up the floor considerably.

When teams get burned a few too many times by Sengun as a facilitator, they’ll overreact to his passing threat and sometimes forget about his abilities as a scorer.

Along with VanVleet’s steady guidance and Sengun taking on a larger role as a hub of the offense, the Rockets win streak has been buoyed by one of the best stretches of play from Jalen Green in his young career. The third-year guard is having his most efficient start to the season, and he seems to be thriving in more of an off-ball role, where he seems to be more decisive and getting himself into better looks. He’s diagnosing mismatches and quickly attacking them before help arrives, and taking advantage of the space Houston is creating with their improved ball and player movement around him.

Take an early basket he had against the Lakers, where Sengun starts the possession in a post-up, recognizes the Lakers are sending help inside and kicks it out to Jabari Smith Jr., who drives and is cut off and swings it back out to Green, who attacks the paint and, when no help comes to Austin Reaves, pivots and rises over him for a bucket.

Green’s still deadliest in transition and semi-transition, as his burst and athleticism allow him to blow by lesser defenders on the perimeter if they don’t get a body on him quickly, and his finishing skill at the rim in traffic is terrific.

However, it’s his improvement in the halfcourt early in the season that is most notable. He’s still active in looking for his shot, but is doing so within the flow of the offense and is attacking space, both getting downhill and rising up for clean jumpers when defenders sag off — particularly in handoff/screen action with Sengun.

While his assist total has gone down, a lot of that is a matter of his usage. He’s being tasked with being a play-finisher more than he is a play-starter, as he’s often being given the ball on the move to leverage his speed and athleticism. However, he’s also shown some excellent feel going downhill, recognizing where help is coming from and who is the open man — either stationed on the outside as a shooter or cutting towards the rim.

Pretty much every major contributor Houston brought back from last year’s squad that has been in the rotation to start this season has seen a healthy increase in how many of their baskets are coming off of assists to start this season, from Green to Sengun to Smith Jr. to Tate. That is evidence of the teamwide buy-in to a more egalitarian approach to offense, and watching them it appears they are truly enjoying playing together because of it. There is no “your turn, my turn” stuff that results in lots of forced shots and standing around. There is constant movement, of players and the ball, and you can see the trust building in real time that if you make the right read, your teammate will see it and reward it.

While there will certainly be ups and downs that come this season, this winning streak and how they’ve played gives them a foundation to return to, something Udoka can remind them of if that trust in the system or their teammates ever seems to waver. The Rockets are winning with different players leading the way on offense each night, indicating they’re taking what the defense gives them at any given time.

That is how Houston builds long-term success, and we’re seeing a glimpse at what the future could hold for this Rockets team.