6. Houston Rockets 2024-25 record: 16-8 Previous ranking: 4 Next games: vs. GS (Dec. 11) Biggest issue on offense: Poor shooting Houston gets it done on the defensive end, but the Rockets rank 16th in offensive rating due in large part to poor shooting. Houston ranks 27th in effective field goal percentage (50.3%), but its saving grace has been offensive rebounding. The Rockets are No. 1 in offensive rebounds per game (14.2), gobbling up their misses. Houston's starting backcourt of Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green are shooting below 40% from the field, and opponents have outscored the Rockets in the paint in their past six games. -- Wright https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/42880235/nba-power-rankings-biggest-issue-offense-defense
I still think the main reason for the collectively poor shooting is how damn hard the whole team works on defense. I think the shooting will straighten itself out eventually. Patience is needed.
No Tari and no Jock is one of the reasons we’ve been outscored in the paint. Yes, Jock is a better defender and rim protector than Adams. The only thing Adams does better is screens and maybe rebounding, but even those battles he loses due to inability to jump.
Teams It puzzles me how fans covet offensive minded players, but at the same time demand that their typical matador style defense give it some effort. Defense weakens legs! And shooting the ball is all about having fresh legs! As the Rockets work on their conditioning, the shooting should improve, but sometimes the body is already taxed at its limit and there is no more it can produce. With young fellas, you’d think there was a glimmer of possibility more they can produce more, but you start hitting 23 and 24 years and the player is going to be what he’s going to be. The cry is defense wins championships, but it’s got a face only its momma is gonna love! Offense sells tickets and gets viewership on TV.
I'm with you right up until the last line, I think there's a chance that late bloomers can still get there. It's a complicated game to master, and these guys are playing at the absolute top level of competition in the world. But I agree with everything else you say.
I only say 23 or 24 because even though there is room for growth in skill, the player has perhaps reached his physically capacity (they aren’t going to get taller or fill out their body with more muscle fibers). They can bulk up yes, but bulking up generally reduces speed and mobility - speed and mobility are a key for basketball success. The TrailBlazer gave up on Jermaine O’Neil and he became a perennial all-star for the Pacers. So there are quite a few outliers, but I was merely talking about the time fans could ponder before taking off rose colored glasses. I’m personally guilty of wearing my rose colored glasses way too late. I am not ashamed to admit, I relished seeing Jon Singleton have a solid season, more than 10 years since he was the top Astros prospect.
5. Houston Rockets. There's no disguising the offensive troubles, but the Rockets are proving that they can get wins in any way necessary. They absolutely lock down during crunch time, as evidenced by Golden State scoring ZERO points in the final three minutes of Wednesday's NBA Cup quarterfinal. https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...e-without-kevin-durant-grizzlies-in-top-five/
https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2024-25-week-9 #6 HOUSTON ROCKETSLast Week:7↑ Record: 17-9 OffRtg: 111.3 (18) DefRtg: 105.3 (2) NetRtg: +6.0 (7) Pace: 99.5 (14) The Rockets scored less than a point per possession in both of their NBA Cup games last week but were able to win ugly against the Warriors before coming up short in Las Vegas. Three takeaways The Rockets were maybe fortunate to have Jalen Green sent to the line with a one-point deficit and 3.5 seconds left on Wednesday, but they also defended the Warriors’ ensuing inbounds play well. They seamlessly switched three straight back-screens and Jabari Smith Jr. reacted well to block Brandin Podziemski’s shot at the buzzer. Houston has won four of its last five games that were within five points in the last five minutes, having allowed just 47 points on 52 clutch possessions over that stretch. Shooting remains an issue. The Rockets are the only team that ranks in the bottom 10 in field goal percentage in the paint (53.6%, 25th), mid-range field-goal percentage (38.5%, 22nd) and 3-point percentage (32.2%, 28th). The two Cup games last week were the 18th and 19th times they shot worse than expected based on the quality of their shots, according to Second Spectrum tracking. That total (19 games) leads the league. Missed shots are rebound opportunities and the Rockets had 15 more offensive boards than the Thunder (19-4) on Saturday, winning the possession battle against the team with the best turnover differential in NBA history. They continue to lead the league in shooting opportunity differential (plus 5.8 per game). The Rockets are just 6-2 against the 11 teams that currently have losing records but will play their next four games against that group. That stretch includes their first two meetings with the Pelicans. Week 9: vs. NOP, @ TOR
5. Houston Rockets 2024-25 record: 17-9 Previous ranking: 6 Next games: vs. NO (Dec. 19), @ TOR (Dec. 22), @ CHA (Dec. 23) Houston recently hit a rough spot, losing three of its past five contests. But the Rockets continue to perform in clutch situations, winning four of their past five games that were within five points in the last five minutes of play. Cold shooting continues to hold Houston back. The Rockets rank 28th in field goal (43.7) and 3-point percentage (32.2), and the club sits in the lower third of the league in paint field goal and midrange field goal percentage. Houston could get momentum back as it plays its next four games against three teams that own a combined record of 19-61. -- Wright https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...ings-grizzlies-grind-west-cavs-continue-climb
Looking at the ladder for the west and its tight as ever. 3.5 games forward will take us to the num 1 seed, 3.5 games back will take us to 11th seed. Margin of error is so tiny.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10147741-nba-power-rankings-where-every-team-stands-post-nba-cup NBA Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands Post-NBA Cup 8. Houston Rockets (18-9) Previous Ranking: 6 Net Rating: +6.6 The Houston Rockets were manhandled by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinals of the NBA Cup, but the arrow is still pointing in the right direction for this young team. The Thunder are second in the league in defense (behind only OKC). Alperen Şengün is looking like a fringe All-Star (in the loaded West) for a second straight year, and Jalen Green is starting to prove his worth within the young core. After he went for 34 points on 13-of-22 shooting in Thursday's win, the oft-inefficient Green is averaging 22.6 points while shooting 46.5 percent from the field in his last eight games.
This is true for normal players, for Sengun everything comes naturally.... He mastered bball, he just hasn't figured out how to play with a team yet and bring everyone up to his lvl....
https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2024-25-week-10 #6 HOUSTON ROCKETSLast Week:6 Record: 19-9 OffRtg: 112.0 (14) DefRtg: 105.5 (2) NetRtg: +6.5 (6) Pace: 99.8 (13) The Rockets took care of business against the Pelicans and Raptors last week, though they had to come back from 16 points down in Toronto. Three takeaways The win over New Orleans was easily the Rockets’ best offensive game of the season (133 points on 100 possessions). Their much bigger improvement from last season has been on defense, but when you take the league average into account, they’re slightly better on offense. This would be the first time in the last five seasons (since Mike D’Antoni was the coach) that they ranked in the top half of the league on that end of the floor. Dillon Brooks totaled 53 points over the two wins, his second and third-highest-scoring games of the season. Amazingly, the first game with zero free-throw attempts and the second came with 14. For the second straight season, Brooks is registering the best true shooting percentage of his career, though that mark (55.7%) is still below the league average (57.4%). With Tari Eason out, Jae’Sean Tate got some rare rotation minutes on Sunday. He was also used as a defensive sub when an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead was cut to three in the closing seconds. When the Raptors had a chance to tie, he forced a turnover to seal the win. Houston has won five of its last six games that were within five points in the last five minutes, having allowed just 49 points on 55 clutch defensive possessions over that stretch. Every other team had at least one rest-advantage game before Thanksgiving and nine teams have had five already. The Rockets haven’t had a rest-advantage game yet, but they’ll have two on the five-game homestand that begins Friday, with the first coming Sunday against the Heat. Week 10: @ CHA, @ NOP, vs. MIN, vs. MIA
Defense, rebounding and if you ever want to drive the ball get ready for 3-4 swipes at you in a crowded paint with refs swallowing the whistle. It's f*cking exhausting to be a Rocket right now. Ime is stressed AF about the difference between 2nd and 1st place defense. Last season we went 6-16 when he kept insisting it's about effort. The moment he announced more pace and space the team got re-energized (Sengun injury really forced his hand). Hope we don't need a disaster to force our hand again. This team can't shoot the way it's designed so it better play its shooters proportionately way more often OR become one of the fastest teams in the league by pushing the tempo and deprioritizing slower players that don't do well in transition. We need an offensive identity, a competitive advantage based on our practically unmatchable athleticism. It's past due. We were defensively already good enough to win a title by mid-way through last season. Instead of improving our TS% slightly since then, we've gotten worse and decided to band-aid the situation with a rebounding advantage that will obviously fall apart in the playoffs. I think Stone has to start taking command of the situation and motivate Udoka to hire a consultant or try something radical his staff suggests. Can't get worse than 27th TS% and we're grabbing the rebounds regardless of the system. That's the players doing that for us, out-hustling the entire NBA right now.
