The start of the NBA year always feels a little strange. There is so much happening in sports from the NFL and college football to the World Series, the Association can get a little lost in the shuffle. It’s why Christmas Day is widely considered the “unofficial” start to the season.
But, the Rockets aren’t waiting. They have roared out to a 7-1 start, tied with Philly for the best record in the NBA. And it isn’t as if they are doing it against also rans. They knocked out a very good Boston team Monday night 109-93. Their only loss is on the road to Dallas during NBA Cup play when Kyrie Irving decided to get robo-hot and the Rockets were playing shorthanded.
Lest you may think this is some kind of fluke, there are reasons, real sustainable reasons, they are doing so well.
Offensively, they are really good.
No, like seriously. They currently rank in the top 10 in points (6), field goal percentage (2), three-point percentage (3), free throw percentage (5), assists (3), plus/minus (1), turnovers (8), offensive rating (2), assist percentage (7), assist-to-turnover ratio (6), assist ratio (2), offensive rebounding (6) and effective field goal percentage (2). The Rockets haven’t had this level of offensive efficiency for years, decades in some cases. We’ve raved about their defense under Ime Udoka, but it’s time to start praising them for being offensive assassins.
Defensively, they continue to improve.
Currently, the Rockets sit sixth in Defensive Rating, eighth in steals and ninth in blocks. They are tenth in opponent field goal percentage and second in opponent three-point percentage. They are fourth in opponent scoring, holding teams to just 106.4 points per game. This is a very good defensive squad, but what should be scary for other teams, they can get better. It wouldn’t be a shock to see them climb the rankings to be at or near the top of the league in defense before mid season.
Youth, additions and returns paying dividends.
There’s been a confluence of returns (Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams), additions (Marcus Smart, Bogdan Bogdanovic) and maturity of younger players (Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith, Jr., Tari Eason, Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson) that has led to this start. The balance between veterans and younger players is great and the depth is impressive. They can sit guys routinely without skipping a beat. Even Kevin Durant is at his lowest usage rate in years. Many credited the return of VanVleet as a catalyst to the turnaround and he has made a big difference, but the improvement of the younger players and the addition, in particular, of Smart have been game changers.
The vibes are good.
You never know how this will go, especially with a wide range of characters in the locker room, but clearly the team chemistry has been outstanding. Credit Udoka’s steady hand now in his fourth full season. The team understands his system and, more importantly, his expectations. Smart seems to fit Udoka’s scheme like a glove and there is buy-in from everyone. Perhaps most critically, no one is playing out of position. Thompson doesn’t have to handle the ball as much, neither does Sheppard. Durant doesn’t have to carry the scoring weight and guys like Eason and Smith are free to play defense and hit threes, what they do best. Maybe no one has benefitted like Sengun, who seems to have added distance to his shooting and is a focal point of the offense.
