Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the 2023-24 season Houston RocketsAmid all the internal and external changes, is that they maintained a top-six defense for the entire regular season.
This is not a simple task, especially since significant minutes have been given to newbies like Green Jalen And Alperen Sengüntwo players who have improved defensively but are more inclined offensively.
With Sengün potentially made for the seasonsidelined with a grade 3 right ankle sprain and bone bruise, head coach Ime Udoka opted against a like-for-like replacement, which would insert a reserve big man Jock Landale – whose play has improved recently – in the lineup. Instead, Udoka opted to deal with Şengün’s absence by using the second-year forward Jabari Smith Jr. at center and promoting the rookie wing Amen Thompson to a starting role – fully committing to the small ball.
It’s an interesting bet, especially considering how critical the final weeks of the season are and how Houston could still somehow find its way into the Play-In Tournament (with the help of the club). Warriors of the Golden State).
The coaching staff wanted to get an in-depth look at Smith playing center since training camp. Udoka and his assistants understood the importance of Şengün’s weak post presence and the positive effect he could have in the half court. But when it came to in-game adjustments, Smith occupying the middle, a departure from the norm, was seen as a viable option.
For all his progress as an individual and team defender, Şengün limited the Rockets not only in how often they could change games, but also in how aggressively they could when they did. Given Houston’s offensive inconsistencies, the best way to maintain its momentum — currently on a four-game winning streak and winning six of its last seven — would be to remain versatile and dangerous. For them, that meant using Smith at a position where he is not only comfortable, but also eager to play.
“I think it gives us more options without Alpi,” Udoka said. “That’s the only advantage, I would say, that we can access more changes and more aggressive things.
“I love its versatility. He can go either way, up or down, and that suits him just fine. There are benefits to both. I can really benefit from some of the five men in the league. He is agile and strong enough to defend multiple positions. I like what he does there, the versatility he gives us.
Of course, small ball, like any defensive strategy, comes with risks and rewards. It requires aggressiveness, physicality and versatility. Full-time small ball, at least the successful version, also requires communication given the increased importance of rotations, assignment changes and defensive nuances. During the 2019-20 season, then-head coach Mike D’Antoni made waves by shaking up the starting center. Clint Capela for veteran defender Robert Covington — a decision which aimed more at integrating Russell Westbrook offensively than anything else – but ultimately collapsed in the playoffs.
For starters, the team that chooses to play small usually sacrifices size and rebound in favor of speed and agility. Since the All-Star break, the Rockets have been one of the fastest teams in the league (third in pace according to NBA.com tracking data), an aspect that has been regularly highlighted. Houston wants to maintain that speed on both sides of the ball. When it comes to rebounding, Şengün’s contributions are an important factor in their improvement – fourth in the rankings. NBA (46.0 per game at the time of his injury) – but there are other reasons for the Rockets’ optimism about preserving their presence on the glass. Smith, an excellent rebounder with good instincts, would still be the last line of defense and the 6-foot-7 Thompson, who averages 10.2 rebounds per 36 minutes, could leverage his athleticism in an increased role.
Overall, these aspects are just fine print on the label. The draw, the appeal of modest defense, lies in the ability to cause chaos. For a Rockets team that tends to struggle in the half court (fourth in frequency and just 23rd in points per possession, according to Cleaning the Glass) and now has two alpha athletes in the starting lineup, creating reversals that lead to transition. opportunities seem to be the logical approach.
Teams that heavily favor changes will hope that the opposition will return to isolation play. The changing team’s hope is that their opponent attempts to attack the basket, provoking timely help from an extra defender (or two), which reduces the working area and leads to a game loaded with errors. Shrink the ground. The 2024 Rockets are built a little differently than the 2019 edition, but the thinking is the same here. Switch aggressively, force the action toward the center, and swarm. Elston Turner, D’Antoni’s assistant in Houston, describes the thought process in detail few years ago. This still applies today with this current group.
“One thing we’ve really tried to focus on is our switching and helping to play against some of the bigger players,” Udoka said. “We’re really trying to get the ball, increase our steals and our deflections and in the second half of the season I think we’ve done that with our aggression. We have improved in our rotations and our communication behind the double team. This creates a lot of chaos, turnovers and helps us come out on the break.
Since the All-Star break, the Rockets have forced a turnover on 14.2% of opposing possessions, 12th best in the league (15th on the season). They are also sixth in deflections (16.3) and second in steals (8.3). There is a physical aspect, resulting from the off-season addition Dillon Brooks (Houston is fifth in fouls per game) but it’s a spirit that has taken over the club. And with Smith playing the back line and serving as the quarterback – with Brooks as the offensive coordinator – of the defense, there’s reason to believe small ball can work. It also helps that the Rockets just played the Spurs And Wizardsthe two worst teams in the NBA.
There’s a lot going on here in this third quarter possession. It starts with Udoka calling the play from the sideline, knowing the Spurs are running a pick-and-roll with the point guard (Blake Wesley) and the center (Zach Collins). Jalen Green, who is Wesley’s match, briefly passes to Collins, while Jeff Green confronts Wesley.
Watch Smith from this point on. The Rockets know they don’t want Jalen Green with Collins in the paint, so Smith calls for the peel switch, meaning that instead of staying with Collins, Jalen “unsticks” him and moves to the corner , leaving Smith to take the middle. Wesley tries to attack Jae’Sean Tate and runs into a wall. Devin Vassell tries to roll in the middle and encounters another wall. With less than two seconds remaining on the shot clock, the ball was passed back to Collins for a hook shot, and even when Jeremy Sochan tries to rebound with an offensive rebound, another wall is there to interrupt the play.
“He has changed a lot all year and we change more with him than with Alperen,” Udoka said. “This role will not change. The back rotations are Jabari instead of Alperen, which rules out the smaller guys, but nothing new as far as what he does communication-wise. He’s been doing this all year. Changing more in general with him will be the main key.
The mentality remains the same no matter who is on the field. Landale is 6-foot-11 and not as physically imposing as many big men, but he is still expected to be able to defend multiple areas on the court with this small group. There are multiple bodies at every turn and nowhere for the Spurs to run. It’s the little ones’ wall.
If there’s a risk to playing aggressively and trying to narrow the field, it’s the propensity to give up open 3s. The Rockets are lucky in this regard. Houston gives up nearly 19 “wide open” 3s per game, meaning the closest defender is at least six feet away, but opponents convert only 36 percent of those looks. It’s almost identical on the “open” 3, where the closest defender is between four and six feet.
This is why communication and timing are key. When you swarm the paint, the perimeter is open. But if everyone is on the same page and moving with aggression and precision, those passes are never made and low percentage shots are made. The small wall has cracks, but the Rockets are banking on the math and will live with these results anyway.
Will this approach pay off? The Rockets have a favorable schedule in March, facing the Wizards again with Utah, Portland And Chicago. The Warriors, on the other hand, still have to deal with the Knicks, Lakers, Timber wolves, Heat And Magic this month with a lead in 10th place that slipped to 3.5 games. Houston’s overall rebounding has declined somewhat, averaging 41.5 per game since Şengün left the lineup and still allowing nearly 40(!) 3s to the opponent per game. But their all-around, aggressive defense has gotten them this far in the season — and there’s no reason to fix what’s not already broken.
(Photo by Jabari Smith Jr. of the Rockets and Victor Wembanyama Spurs: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
