As impressive as the start the season has been, consistency will be crucial.
After a tough and somewhat heartbreaking loss against the struggling Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night, the Houston Rockets bounced back against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, bringing their record to 11-5, which is good enough currently for fourth in the Western Conference and just one game out of first place. Many of us may not have predicted that they’d be playing this well this early, so it begs the question, are the Rockets for real?
Last season, the Rockets were the seventh-ranked defense in the league, and at the beginning of this season. Rockets fans were counting on the fact that if this team were to become a true playoff contender, it would need to be a top five defense, given the known offensive deficiencies.
As it stands today, the Rockets are the number-two-ranked defense in all the league at 105.5 points per 100 possessions, and an opponent effective field-goal percentage of 50 percent. In their first 16 games, they have played six teams in the top 11 of NBA offensive rating. They have played six teams that are bottom 10 in offensive rating, including the San Antonio Spurs who they have faced three times.
In four of the six games versus the better offensive teams (DAL, MEM, NYK, and IND) the Rockets defense held the other team well below their season averages. The others being the Golden State Warriors and the OKC Thunder, one being an overtime loss in-which the Rockets overcame a 31-point deficit, and the other being a 19 -point loss where the Rockets tied or won every quarter other than a disastrous second. Even in their losses to the better teams the Rockets have shown themselves to be a team that should be respected.
However, I believe the losses to the Thunder, both in the regular and preseason, and the loss to the Warriors showed that there are levels to this. However, the fact that it’s early and the Rockets seem to be getting better with each game is very encouraging. Late game execution proved to be an issue recently in the one -point loss to the Bucks. Similar issues plagued them in the first game of the season versus Charlotte, and in the overtime loss to the Warriors.
I believe this is the next step in the evolution of this Rockets team, learning to win close games, learning to execute under the pressure of facing teams that have had more success in recent years, and proving to themselves that they do belong in the process.
It is still early in the season, but I believe that the Rockets have done enough to show that they are for real. The are young, they are deep, the defend the ball as ferociously as any team in the league, and when they move the ball and get good looks, their offense shows its potential. The Rockets staters have begun to play very well, and they are boasting one of the most entertaining, as well as disruptive bench units with Tari Eason and Amen Thompson.
Lastly, one of the things that signals to me that the Rockets are growing up is that they are dominating inferior opponents. How things have changed from what feels like forever ago but was just two short years ago. So much credit needs to go to Tilman Fertitta, Rafael Stone, and Ime Udoka. They stayed pat this offseason rather than reach on a deal for a “superstar” and it seems to be paying off. Yet somehow there continue to be Rockets “trade rumors” and scenarios buzzing about the NBA landscape. Is there smoke to the fire? Should the Rockets look to capitalize on the rising stock of this young core? I’d like to approach that very subject in my next piece.