I think teams are starting to practice beating a zone more too. Houston isn’t the only team throwing out zones these days. This year in particular teams seem to be experimenting with much deeper press sets than in years past. I think the use of zones and full court presses is no longer a novelty and teams are starting to prepare for it more thoughtfully meaning Houston will in turn need to adapt with new wrinkles.
I think this is a very underrated point. We have to remember this is still a relatively new team playing a new way, guys are in different roles, our pecking order has changed fundamentally, etc. 100% that causes us to work at a less than optimal level and I think you are on to something that Houston still needs to figure out how to work together in crunch time and we have ultimately fumbled those games so far this year. It’s going to take some time for sure but I think your point is really good perspective for where they are as a team right now(not necessarily individually as players)
To give the Rockets a chance on the defensive glass and (somewhat) to protect the rim, the zone defense should be limited to the double-big lineup unless the other team is playing a small lineup.
