This Is Not The Same Houston Rockets…
The number one thing is he’s going to be that closer in the fourth quarter, right? And he’s the greatest scorer to ever touch the damn basketball in my eyes. Now, with that being said, he has zero excuses. This is the best situation, the best team that he has been on since he played in Golden State. Something terrifying is happening in the Western Conference. A team that is breaking 30-year-old offensive rebounding records while boasting two of the best isolation scorers in basketball. And no, it’s not Denver, Oklahoma City, or the Lakers. It’s Houston. With Kevin Durant and Alper and Sangun forming the most unstoppable duo in the modern league, and Reed Shepard shooting 48% from three-point range on six attempts per game, the Rockets are 9 and three, and no one can stop their offensive system. Wait until you see in this video how this team exposes exactly why the entire league has a serious problem that’s wearing red. We know basketball. We watch the games, but here’s the thing nobody’s really catching. The NBA thought Houston needed more time, that their young core wasn’t ready yet, that adding a 37-year-old superstar was a desperation move. They lost their point guard before the season even started, and everyone thought Reed Shepard was just another lottery pick who’d need years to develop. But after one blockbuster move that shifted the entire Western Conference, a sophomore guard shooting nearly 48% from three on six attempts per game and a start to the season that’s rewriting NBA history on the glass. The Houston Rockets are coming and they’re doing it right now, not in two years now. And if we’ve really been watching their games this season, we know something’s fundamentally different. This isn’t a good team having a hot start. This is a legit contender announcing themselves to the league with authority. Let’s start with the obvious that’s staring us in the face. KD and Sangun together. And we know what people were saying. They questioned whether Durant still had it at 37 after a disappointing Phoenix run. Could he still be that guy in clutch moments? Well, for example, precisely during the game against Orlando gave everyone their answer brutally. The Rockets trailed basically the entire game. The Magic playing without Benerro were up late. It looked finished. But here’s what separates contenders from pretenders. With less than a minute left in regulation, the Rockets are still down. KD brings the ball up the floor. Step back three over Wendell Carter Jr. Splash tie game. Ice in his veins. Then Desmond Bane drives hard and Sangun erases him with a clutch block. But wait, because it gets even crazier. Durant slips on an inbound pass from Sangun. Anthony Black gets the go-ahead dunk but misses the free throws. 1.4 seconds on the clock. Aean Thompson inbounds to Sangun in the lane. Turnaround hook shot over Jonathan Isaac. Time expires. Overtime. And in that extra period, the Rockets were simply too much. Final score 117 to 113. Durant 35 points. Sangun 30 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists. But here’s what makes this duo terrifying. Sangun’s been capable of those numbers for a while now. The difference now is he’s got a closer who’s been in every big moment imaginable standing next to him. When defenses swarm Singon in the post, he kicks it out to one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. When KD gets doubled, Sangun’s got room to cook inside. There’s no right answer. Pick your poison. Either way, we’re scoring on you. But Durant’s doing way more than just scoring. He’s completely warping defenses invisibly. Reed Shepard’s having a breakout year, shooting over 47% from three, and that’s because teams literally cannot help off him. Amen. Thompson is getting to the rim easier than ever. Jabari Smith Jr. is getting cleaner looks from three. The whole offense flows differently when we have a top five all-time scorer commanding that much attention. And wait until you see how their rebounding dominance makes all this even more impossible to handle. Here’s where it gets really stupid and where Houston exposes how to beat teams physically. This isn’t just a KD and Sangan story. The Rockets have become absolute monsters on the glass and it’s changing the entire game. 41% offensive rebounding percentage through 12 games. They’re averaging over 22nd chance points per game. Steven Adams at age 32 is the best offensive rebounder in basketball on a per minute basis. 5.1 offensive boards per game in limited minutes. when he’s out there with Sangun team simply cannot keep the ball. For example, during overtime against Orlando, Sangun and Adams bullying their way to the ball and it ends with an insane behind the back pass from Sangun to Adams. And off the bench, there’s Clint Capella, another legit starting caliber center, crashing the glass with bad intentions. Three elite rebounding bigs in your rotation. Good luck. But this isn’t some boring analytics thing. It’s demoralizing opponents in real time. We play great defense for 20 seconds. We force a tough shot. We get a miss. And then Adams tips it out to Jabari Smith for a corner three. How do we guard that? Speaking of Jabari Smith Jr., the fourth year forward is putting it all together this season. Career-high 14.5 points, 37% from three on real volume. And then there’s Reed Shepard, who deserves us talking about him seriously. The third overall pick from the 2024 draft is having a breakout sophomore season. 12.3 points per game in about 22 minutes. But here’s the crazy part. 47.7% from three on almost six attempts per game. He’s leading the entire Rockets team in three-point attempts despite coming off the bench. And when we watch him play, we see it. He’s playing with confidence out there. No more hesitation. He catches it. One dribble if he needs it and he lets it fly. Teams are realizing they can’t leave him open, which just opens up more room for Durant and Sangun. Fred Van Vleet going down with an ACL injury could have derailed the season, but instead it forced Shepard into a bigger role, and he’s absolutely seized it. Through the first 12 games, Houston shot 42.6% as a team from three. However, they’re ranked last in attempts per game, and they’re not just taking open shots. These are tough ones, contested ones, and they’re knocking them all down. Durant hitting pull-ups, Shephard catch and shooting, Smith spotting up in corners, even Sangun hitting them at 45%. And this is where we start seeing the genius of the system. Stop. Listen closely now because what I’m about to reveal about Udoka’s system is going to expose why Houston is different. Udoka is the mastermind behind all this madness. And the system he’s instilled is unlike anything else we’re seeing in the NBA right now. And it’s working at an elite level. The offense has completely flipped from what Houston basketball used to be. We remember mory ball, launch threes, get to the rim, nothing in between. This offense is the total opposite. The Rockets ranked 25th in passes per game, but they’re number one in offensive rating. How does that work? ISO ball baby, but not the boring, inefficient kind. Houston runs more isolation plays than almost anyone with Sen and Durant. Both operating as elite isolation scorers. When we pair the best big man isolation player in the league with arguably the best isolation scorer ever, defenses are in absolute hell. And the zone defense is another wrinkle teams aren’t ready for. Houston plays zone on about 18% of their defensive possessions, nearly double any other team. In today’s NBA, nobody plays more zone, but Udoka is using it strategically by protecting the rim and forcing teams into tough mid-range shots. With the size Houston has, they can switch almost everything in the zone and still contest shots. The free throw differential is bonkers, too. The Rockets are averaging 28 free throws per game, while opponents are getting 23. Durant knows how to draw fouls with 15 years of experience. Sangun lives at the line. Aean Thompson’s driving straight into bodies. Defensively, they’re 11th in defensive rating at 113.7. Not elite, but solid and improving. The real key is they can switch between man and zone. They’ve got length everywhere and they’re not giving up easy threes. But here’s what everyone’s missing. We’ve seen teams get hot before. Maybe some of the shooting comes back down. Maybe Durant’s 37year-old body hits a wall. All valid concerns, but watching this team something special is brewing. And this isn’t fool’s gold. The rebounding is sustainable because that’s personnel, not luck. Durant being clutch is sustainable because that’s Kevin freaking Durant. The defense is sustainable because that’s Udoka’s system with elite defensive players. But what makes this team really dangerous is the mentality that set in. All right, we’re here. The real bomb that proves Houston is legit and not just a hot team. Here’s what makes this team terrifying for the entire league. In close games, there’s zero panic, no hesitation. When it’s a one-possession game with two minutes left, they now have two options to make a play. Give it to KD and let him work. That’s championship level closer mentality, and it’s rubbing off on everyone. Or there’s Sangun who’s playing with more confidence because he knows if he gets doubled KD’s open. Sheepard shooting with confidence and hitting his shots. Jabari Smith’s defending like his life depends on it because his team has a real chance to do something special. And for example during the game against Orlando when they were down they found a way. Durant hit the shots. Sangun made the plays. Shepard sealed it at the free throw line in overtime 117 to 113. And it felt almost routine. That’s championship DNA. That’s what Durant brings beyond the stats. He’s been there. He’s done it. He knows what it takes. And he’s teaching this young core how to win when it’s hard. The Western Conference is loaded. We all know Oklahoma City is a defensive juggernaut. The Nuggets have Jokic playing at an MVP level. But here’s what makes Houston different now. They have a 23-year-old all-star in Sangun who’s only getting better. Young talent like Thompson and Shepard still developing. Then vets like Adams Capella and Jeff Green who know how to win. And most importantly, Kevin Durant, one of the greatest scorers to ever live, still playing at an elite level, showing the young guys what clutch looks like in real time. This is a Houston Rockets team that knows how to close games. A team that doesn’t panic when things get tight. A team that frankly looks like they could make some serious noise in the West. The addition of Durant added a closer championship experience. Someone who’s been in every big moment imaginable and knows exactly what to do. And for a team that was one piece away, that might be everything. The Rockets are nine and three. They’re they’re out rebounding everyone. They’re shooting the lights out. They’re playing elite offense and solid defense. And if we’ve watched their recent games, we already know this team is built different. Now, so there you have it. The Houston Rockets with Kevin Durant and Reed Shepard expose exactly how a team becomes a real contender overnight. They prove that when we combine an unstoppable offensive duo with physical rebounding dominance and a system that maximizes every strength, we get something special. Now, the real question I’m asking you, if you had to build a championship team today, would you take one superstar at 50 million who does one thing or a duo like Durant Sen at 14 million each who does absolutely everything? Drop your answer in the comments because I want to know what you really think. If you think Houston’s going to shock the league this season, hit that like button, subscribe because I’m going to keep exposing the teams the media underestimates. Catch you in the next one.
This Is Not The Same Houston Rockets…
The Houston Rockets are 9-3 and sitting third in the West with the most lethal duo nobody saw coming: Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun. Add Reed Shepard shooting 48% from three on six attempts per game, and Houston is dominating at a historic level.Everyone thought adding a 37-year-old KD was desperation. They lost their starting point guard before the season. Reed Shepard was just another lottery pick who’d need years to develop. They were wrong about everything.
Is Houston a real championship contender or just a hot start? Drop your take in the comments and subscribe for more breakdowns.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – The unstoppable duo nobody saw coming
1:45 – KD + Sengun partnership dominance
4:00 – Historic rebounding destroying teams
6:30 – Ime Udoka’s genius system
9:00 – Why this is real, not a mirage
11:00 – Championship DNA in Houston