How Houston Rockets implemented preseason talking points to great success in opening night romp

The two generals, one on the court and the other on the field, faced each other, with one readying for the other’s verdict. 

The former, Fred VanVleet, had just hurled an off-balance pass from his own 3-point line to the opposite end of the court – hitting Kevin Durant in stride for an open dunk. Houston‘s point guard turned to his right where the city’s quarterback, C.J. Stroud, sat courtside. 

VanVleet – tilting his hand from side to side – wanted a rating. Stroud gave him two thumbs up. 

“That’s my guy. I don’t expect anything less,” VanVleet said after the Rockets’ 128-110 win at Toyota Center. “I would have been hurt if he would have (given) me a thumbs down.”

The bucket counted for two of the Rockets’ 29 fast-break points – tying their second-highest total from last season, early proof of the faster pace coach Ime Udoka has emphasized through training camp.

The Rockets were the second-slowest team in the league last season, forcing them to attack set defenses and often leading to contested shots as the shot clock dwindled. But Wednesday’s season opener looked different. Houston shot 52.2% from the field, 44.4% from 3-point range and had assists on 32 of their 47 made baskets. 

It’s just one game against a bad team, but VanVleet’s return, offseason additions and a change in tempo gave the Rockets offense some much-needed WD-40 to smoothen the offense.

“The ball respects energy and it’s contagious,” VanVleet said. “So when it’s moving and guys are moving and flowing, the shots get better quality and the shots tend to go in more.”

Playing faster isn’t a costless endeavor. Udoka pointed to turnovers and some poor early shot selection as potential tradeoffs. But the Rockets, with VanVleet back on the court and helping limit giveaways, feel they can live with those issues because of the advantages faster pace gets them.

Going against a scrambling defense can lead to easy buckets or mismatches as defenders mark whoever is in front of them. Durant and center Alperen Sengun both profited off those “cross-matches.”

Houston fueled much of that transition attack with another stylistic shift: Aggressive off-ball defense forcing turnovers. Rather than stay on their assignments, especially when guarding below-average shooters, Rockets defenders would move to the middle of the floor to clog driving and passing lanes. 

Udoka talked about forcing turnovers as a way to “squeeze” more out of an already-elite defense that allowed the fourth-fewest points per 100 possessions last season, per Cleaning the Glass.

The Rockets forced turnovers at a bottom-10 rate last season. On Wednesday, the Mavericks committed 21 giveaways that led to 32 Houston points. 

Houston also entered the season wanting to take more 3-pointers after doing so at one of the lowest rates in the league last season. The Rockets took 36 on Thursday, not an elite mark but still higher than last season’s average. The additional shooting opens up opportunities inside. 

“Last year we started in our backcourt, Twin (Amen Thompson) and Josh Okogie. And a lot of times those guys (were) being left (open) at the 3-point line,” Durant said. ” … When we got Fred and Marcus Smart out there, who can keep the defense honest at the 3-point line and then twin just roaming around just doing everything … that (puts) everybody in a good position. I think that settled everybody into what they do best.”

It isn’t just about having more shooters. It’s also about where they lurk. Jabari Smith Jr., who made four 3-pointers and tied Durant for the team high with 30 points, pointed to Houston’s improved off-ball movement, a focus during training camp. The goal, Smith Jr. said, is to keep the defense moving as much as possible.

The Rockets were able to implement that change and others to great success in the opener.

Now, Houston’s goal shifts to maintaining those growth areas moving forward, especially with an imposing test against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs looming on Friday in Austin. 

ROCKETS 128, MAVERICKS 110

Percentages: FG .519, FT .654.

3-Point Goals: 11-37, .297 (Sasser 4-5, Marshall 2-6, Washington 2-6, Flagg 1-4, Irving 1-4, Christie 1-7, de Larrea 0-1, Risacher 0-4).

Team Rebounds: 11. Team Turnovers: None.

Blocked Shots: 4 (Gafford 2, Flagg, Washington).

Turnovers: 21 (Flagg 4, Irving 4, Washington 4, Risacher 3, Christie 2, Marshall 2, Gafford, Sasser).

Steals: 12 (Risacher 5, Flagg 3, Gafford, Irving, Marshall, Sasser).

Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .528, FT .720.

3-Point Goals: 16-36, .444 (Smith Jr. 4-8, Sengun 2-2, Durant 2-4, Smart 2-4, VanVleet 2-6, Crawford 1-1, Bogdanovic 1-2, Thompson 1-2, Sheppard 1-6, Thornton 0-1).

Team Rebounds: 10. Team Turnovers: 1.

Blocked Shots: 2 (Durant, VanVleet).

Turnovers: 15 (Durant 4, Sengun 4, Sheppard 3, Capela, Smart, Smith Jr., Thompson).

Steals: 11 (VanVleet 3, Sheppard 2, Smith Jr. 2, Durant, Eason, Smart, Thompson).

Technical Fouls: None.

A_18,055 (18,500).

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This article originally published at How Houston Rockets implemented preseason talking points to great success in opening night romp.

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