[Observation] The more the big lineup is used, the more effective it becomes. The Rockets become the Thunder’s biggest opponent.

Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Li Hui

After two consecutive losses at the start of the season, the Houston Rockets have become one of the best teams in the league in the past period. They have 10 wins and 1 loss in the past 11 games. This team that acquired Kevin Durant in the offseason has become the Oklahoma City Thunder's biggest opponent on their way to defending their title.

Durant's seamless transition

In terms of adaptability, perhaps no superstar can match Durant. With his excellent personal offense and off-the-ball offensive skills, wherever Durant goes, he never needs to worry about his personal performance. At the same time, he will not destroy the team's chemical reaction, because Durant can do simple arithmetic problems. Due to his age and tactical play, Durant's responsibilities with the Rockets have been simplified, but he is still able to complete the tasks assigned to him by the team well. What Durant needs to do most now is to hit shots and step forward when the team needs him to hit key goals.

The previous game against the Magic was the greatest manifestation of Durant's value to the Rockets. He hit key goals in both regular time and overtime to help the team win. This was the most missing link for the Rockets last season, and it can also be said to be the link they need most to win the championship, because in history, any team that wants to win the championship must go through those life and death moments, and Durant can be said to be born for key goals.

So far, Durant has averaged 25.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 50%. From Durant's personal standards, such data is mediocre, even a little bad, especially the rebounds and assists output, which is why Durant is improving. The lowest value since entering the peak, but the stable contribution on the scoring end is enough to prove Durant's integration level and his importance to this Rockets team. Houstonians no longer need to worry that no one can shoulder the heavy responsibility on the scoring end. The team's sense of powerlessness at critical moments last season has disappeared.

In the eyes of many people, the Rockets are the team that is most suitable for Durant in his career besides the Warriors. Indeed, Durant's biggest characteristic can solve the biggest problem of the Warriors and the Rockets. In the Rockets, Durant can fully display his unparalleled offensive skills, and his teammates are very dependent on him.

Position 1 is weak? Come on with your height!

Before the start of the season, VanVleet's injury cast a shadow over the Rockets, who were aiming to compete for the championship. However, within one month, Uduka and his team successfully solved the dilemma. Their approach was very simple, using height to make up for it. In the past 10 years, the NBA has been dominated by small lineups, but in recent years, as Jokic has shown dominance, more and more teams have re-realized the importance of height. The Rockets not only know this well, but more importantly, they have enough resources to implement "big ball tactics."

This season, the Rockets have five players over 2.10 meters tall, including offensive killer Durant. In addition, Amen Thompson, Ethan and others also have excellent size conditions, allowing the Rockets to easily form tall lineups, and such tall lineups will not affect their offensive sorting.

So far, the Rockets' big group, led by Shen Jing, Durant, and Amen Thompson, have produced a number of league-leading statistics: their offensive efficiency ranks first in the league; their rebounds rank first in the league; their offensive rebounds rank first in the league; their three-point field goal percentage also ranks first in the league; in addition, the Rockets' average points per game and net rating rank second and third in the league respectively.

Among them, the reason why the Rockets' three-point shooting percentage ranks first is because they cherish every three-point opportunity. Their number of three-point attempts ranks last in the league. This is also very contrary to the trend, but the Rockets can seize every opportunity to the greatest extent. Because the overall height is very impressive, the Rockets' offensive tactics are mainly based on positioning. They are currently the third slowest offensive rhythm team in the league. The team slows down the rhythm as much as possible to maximize their advantages of height and strong rebounding ability. Therefore, one of the most common scenes for the Rockets this season is that even if Durant failed to make the shot, Shen Jing, Thompson, Adams and others were able to get offensive rebounds and give Durant a second chance. Obviously, with Durant's ability, it is difficult for him to miss the second chance.

Conclusion

Durant's quick integration and Uduka's tactical response after VanVleet's injury made the Rockets one of the most competitive teams in the league. Looking back on the opening game, the Rockets lost to the Thunder in overtime. They obviously had not completed the run-in at that time. It is true that the Thunder also lacked Jaylen Williams, but once the two sides meet again, the Rockets are bound to show a new look. This team with distinctive characteristics has become the biggest obstacle for the Thunder to defend their title.