Houston Rockets: Three Takeaways Through the First 20 Games

The Houston Rockets are second in the Western Conference with a 14-6 record. They have been doing three things well throughout the season: defense, rebounding, and coaching.

Defense has been key for the Rockets all season long. They have the second highest defensive rating this season at 104.2, just behind Oklahoma City Thunder's 103.3. The phrase, "Defense wins champsionships" is the best way to summarize this Rockets season to anyone who has not watched a game yet.

Anchored by Tari Eason and Amen Thompson, the levels of intensity they play with and bring to the floor are a big reason of why Houston has been winning. They are 18th in offensive rating among teams with a 112.6 rating. The difference between their defensive and offensive ratings show why Houston is winning games, but watching them play defense surely passes the eye-test.

Houston leads the league in rebounds per game at 50. They also lead in offensive rebounds at 14. Rebounds has been super important to the Rockets, especially on the offensive side of the court. Getting boards has been crucial due to their mediocre shooting of 44.1% from the field and 32.9% from three.

Ime Udoka has changed the culture in Houston. Starting off 14-6, this is one of Houston's best starts since Mike D'Antoni was still the head coach.

Udoka's rotations at the beginning of the season were a little bit interesting, but now that they are 20 games into the season, his lineups have become a lot better. Steven Adams has brought a big presence to Houston when he is healthy.

Although his numbers are not great, his screen setting has been really good as per usual, and his intimidation on defense has led to many turnovers. Thompson and Eason are, deservingly, getting the most minutes off of the bench. Udoka has been benching players when they are off, which is what any true leader should do. The way he coaches this team has flipped a switch for the Rockets. They were projected to be a low-seeded playoff team or a Play-In team this season. Players on the roster said that their goal is the playoffs, and it sure is looking like that.

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