This Is Not The Same Houston Rockets…

This Is Not The Same Houston Rockets…

You know, there’s only a few teams that have unstoppable offensive players, right? We could agree with me. Luca, yeah, SCA, Joker, Curry to name a few. Steph, how many teams have two? Yeah, Rockets have two. And you know what? With his improvement, with the addition of KD, name a better duo in the league. I’m listening. There isn’t one. The NBA thought Houston needed more time. That their young core wasn’t ready yet. that adding a 37year-old superstar was a desperation move. They lost their point guard before the season even began and that 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 a game. Oh, pull back by Reed Shepard. Oh, excuse me. 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. 9 and three, that’s where the Rockets sit right now. Third in the West and playing some of the best basketball in the entire league. And if you’ve been watching them this season, really watching them, you know something’s fundamentally different. This isn’t your typical good team having a hot start situation. This is a legit contender announcing themselves to the league with authority. Because when you’ve got Kevin Durant hitting game-tying threes in the clutch, when you’ve got Alpron Shenun owning the paint, and when you’re dominating the glass at a rate that would break 30-year-old records, yeah, the NBA has a problem and it’s wearing red. Let’s start with the obvious. KD and ShenGun. People questioned whether Durant still had it. 37 years old, coming off a disappointing Phoenix run. Could he still be that guy when it mattered? Sunday night against Orlando gave everyone their answer. The Rockets trailed basically the entire game. The Magic playing without Bangero were up late, looking like they had it wrapped up. But here’s what separates contenders from pretenders. With less than a minute left in regulation, Rocket still down. KD brings the ball up the floor. Step back three over Wendel Carter Jr. Splash. Tie game. Ice in his veins. Then on the defensive end, Desmond Bane drives hard and Shenun erases him with a clutch block. But wait, there’s more. Durant slips on an inbound pass from Shangun. Anthony Black gets the go-ahead dunk, but misses the free throws. 1.4 seconds left on the clock. Game over, right? Wrong. Armen Thompson inbounds to Shenon 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 117 113. Durant 35 points. Shenun 30 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists. But here’s what makes this duo terrifying. Shenun’s been capable of those numbers for a while now. The difference now he’s got a closer who’s been in every big moment imaginable standing next to him. When defenses swarm Shangun in the post and they have to because his footwork is insane. He kicks it out to one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. When KD gets doubled, Shangun’s got room to cook inside. There’s no right answer. Pick your poison. Either way, you’re getting scored on. And Durant’s doing way more than just scoring. He’s completely warping defenses. Durant on top. Durant pulling back, shooting for the tie. He gets it. Kevin Durant is cold. Reed Shepard’s having a breakout year, shooting over 47% from three. And that’s because teams literally cannot help off him. They’re too terrified of leaving Durant open. Amen Thompson is getting to the rim easier than ever. His defender can’t cheat off to provide help. Jabari Smith Jr. getting cleaner looks from three. The defense is constantly collapsing toward Durant and Shenun. The whole offense flows differently when you’ve got a top five all-time scorer commanding that much attention every single possession. It’s not just about the shots Durant takes. It’s about the shots everyone else gets because of Durant. But hold up, this isn’t just a KD and Shenun 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 20 plus second 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 a game in limited minutes. When he’s out there with Shenun, teams cannot keep the ball. Just look at this sequence here. During overtime, both ShenGun and Adams are just bullying their way to the ball and eventually ends with an insane behind the back pass from Shenun to Adams. The combination of Shenun’s instincts and Adam’s pure strength is creating offensive rebounds that shouldn’t even be possible. And off the bench, Clink Capella, another legit starting caliber center, crashing the glass with bad intentions. Three elite rebounding bigs in your rotation. Good luck. This isn’t some boring analytics thing either. This is demoralizing opponents in real time. You play great defense for 20 seconds, force a tough shot, get a miss, and then Adams tips it out to Jabari Smith for a corner three. How do you guard that? How do you stay motivated on defense when you can’t end the possessions no matter what you do? They’re physically imposing their will on every single possession. Speaking of Jabari Smith Jr., The fourth year forward is putting it all together this season. Careerhigh 14.5 points, 37% from three on real volume. The defense was always there. And now the offensive confidence is matching it. And then there’s Reed Shepard. The third overall pick from the 2024 draft is having a breakout sophomore season that’s turned heads across the entire league. 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 you watch him play, you can see it. He’s playing with confidence out there. No more hesitation. Catch it, one dribble if he needs it, and let it fly. Teams are realizing they can’t leave him open, which just opens up more room for Durant and Shenun. Fred Van Vleet going down with an ACL injury could have derailed the season. Instead, it forced Shepherd into a bigger role, and he’s absolutely seized it. The three-point shooting across the board has been absurd. Through the first 12 games, Houston shot 42.6% as a team from three. However, they are ranked last in attempts per game. And they’re not just taking open shots. They’re tough ones, contested ones, and knocking them all down. Durant hitting pull-ups. Shepherd catching and shooting. Smith spotting up in corners. Even Shenun’s hitting them at 45%. Now, some of this probably isn’t sustainable. Tari E shooting 50% from three, that’s coming back down to earth. But even if some regression happens, this team has proven they can shoot. And with the likes of Dorian Finny Smith still to return, they should be able to increase the volume of shots taken. And that’s what makes them dangerous. Now, let’s talk about Emma Odoka, the mastermind behind all this madness. Because the system he’s instilled is unlike anything else 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. Remember, Mory Ball, launch threes, get to the rim, nothing in between. This offense is the total opposite. The Rockets rank 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 players than almost anyone with Shenun and Durant both operating as elite isolation scorers. When you pair the best big man isolation player in the league with arguably the best isolation scorer ever, defenses are in absolute hell trying to figure out what to do. 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 zone more, but Udoka is using it strategically, protecting the rim, 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 ranking fourth lowest with 23 per game. Durant knows how to draw fouls. Shenun lives at the line. Amen Thompson’s driving straight into bodies. Defensively, 11th in defensive rating at 113.7. Not elite, but solid and improving each game. The real key, they can switch between man and zone. They’ve got length everywhere, and they’re not giving up easy threes. Teams have to work for everything against them. Look, we’ve seen teams get hot before. Small sample sizes can be misleading. Maybe some of the shooting comes back down. Maybe teams figure out how to attack the zone better. Maybe Durant’s 37y old body hits a wall. All valid concerns. But watching this team, something special is brewing. This isn’t fool’s gold. The rebounding is sustainable. That’s personnel, not luck. Durant being clutch is sustainable. That’s Kevin freaking Durant. The defense is sustainable. That’s Immeodoka’s system with elite defensive players. What makes this team dangerous is the mentality. In close games, there’s zero panic, no hesitation. When it’s a one-possession game with 2 minutes left, they now have two options to make a play. Get it to KD and let him work. That’s championship level closer mentality, and it’s rubbing off on everyone else. Or there’s Shenun, who’s playing with more confidence because he knows if he gets doubled, KD’s open. Shepherd’s letting it fly because he’s playing with confidence and hitting shots. Jabari Smith’s defending like his life depends on it because his team actually has a chance to do something special. When they were down to Orlando, they found a way. Durant hit the shots. Shenun made the plays. Shepherd 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. Oklahoma City is a defensive juggernaut. The Nuggets have Joic playing at an MVP level again. The question is, can they sustain it for 82 games, stay healthy, and deliver in the playoffs? That’s the ultimate test for any contender. But man, if you’re a Rockets fan, you’ve got to feel good about where things are headed. a 23-year-old allstar in Shenon who’s only getting better. Young talent like Thompson and Shepherd 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 your young guys what clutch looks like. 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. It added championship experience. It added 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 9 and three. They’re out rebounding everyone. They’re shooting the lights out. They’re playing elite offense and solid defense. And if you watched that Orlando game, you already know this team is built different now. This is not the same Houston Rockets. Hit that like button if you think the Rockets are legit contenders this season. Hit subscribe so you don’t miss what happens next. And if you enjoyed this video, check out one of these on your screen now.

The Houston Rockets are no longer the rebuilding team the NBA thought they were — and in this video, we break down exactly why This Is Not the Same Houston Rockets.

With the addition of Kevin Durant to the Rockets young core, Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, Jabri Smith Jr, Reed Sheppard and co, the Rockets have built a roster built for winning — not waiting. Their combination of elite athleticism, defensive toughness, and improved offensive efficiency is turning them into a legitimate Western Conference threat.

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