The Rockets' Rim Pressure May Take a Dip Next Season

The departure of Jalen Green allowed the Rockets to finalize a team that the front office imagines has a realistic chance at winning a championship as soon as next season. Additional shooters, defenders and rebounders have helped bolster the roster and give the Rockets a chance at winning at a high level. However, the Rockets may need to rely more on their jump shooting than they have in previous seasons. The loss of Green removes one of the team's best paint attackers, and there might not be many solutions to create more rim pressure, especially after Cam Whitmore was traded as well.

Amen Thompson is the player who can contribute rim pressure at an equal or higher rate than Green, and he'll be getting more responsibility in the offense this season. Thompson is an elite finisher at the rim, and his speed helps him get into the paint faster than a defender can get between him and the bucket.

A main difference is that Thompson hasn't shown any flashes of being a major threat from the outside. He's better when he can drive into the paint and attack the rim instead of settling for mid-range shots or 3-pointers. He can create rim pressure, but the lack of offensive versatility at this point could be a limit for Thompson in this offense.

Partially because teammate Alperen Sengun is also providing pressure at the rim in a more traditional sense.

Sengun does his best work in the post while backing down his opponents. He has the touch to finish at the rim after making a difficult move, and he constantly forces teams to worry about what's happening in the paint when he's got the ball in that area.

Without the space to measure up his opponents one-on-one, Sengun may not have the opportunities to take on defenders in isolation, and Thompson may not be able to get into the paint with Sengun occupying it.

These concerns are why the Rockets are making the pivot to a shooting team rather than a slashing team.

Kevin Durant, Fred VanVleet, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Jabari Smith Jr. are the shooters who will surround Thompson and Sengun to relieve some of the pressure created by their rim pressure.

Losing Green and Whitmore hurts the team's ability to rim run, but neither player was evolved enough to get into the paint consistently and finish at a high rate at the rim. The Rockets may not have as many adept slashers on the team anymore, but they'll still have a plan to continue forward as a strong shooting team.