The Rockets Can't Prioritize Size Over Skill

The Houston Rockets have begun the season with big lineups in each of their first two games. While they found success with that lineup last season, they still need each of their players to take advantage of their size with skill.

Oct 21, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (12) and Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) reach for a loose ball during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets are one of the biggest teams in the NBA. They've started the season with some of the biggest starting lineups in NBA history, with Amen Thompson playing supersized point guard and Steven Adams in the middle of a double-big rotation. Houston got great returns last season from playing with a big lineup, but they were functioning with less offensive potential than they obtain now.

With increased level of offensive skill in the lineup, the Rockets can rely less on offensive rebounds to supplement their scoring. The focus should be more on finishing the first opportunities than to use size to manage their misses.

Kevin Durant was added to the squad to assist with the team's offensive efficiency and to add size to the lineup.

Durant is still an adept scorer who doesn't need much space to finish from any area of the court. However, the middle of the floor is where he prefers to do his damage, an area that is populated by the big men.

Alperen Sengun has shown an ability to perform along with Adams as an effective hub for the offense. This season hasn't been as efficient for the double-big offense, mostly due to the amount of players needing to get to the paint to be effective on offense.

Even Jabari Smith Jr. has been more efficient shooting from the mid range as he has shown an ability to raise up in the middle of the floor and knock down shots over defenders.

The offense isn't the only element that has taken a step back from last season using the big lineup.

Defensively, the Rockets haven't been as sharp as they have been in previous seasons. Fouls and missed assignments have undermined their overall defensive efforts. Reed Sheppard's difficulties on defense have been a major hole that other players have had to cover.

The Rockets have used zone to try to mask some of the defensive deficiencies, but big men other than Sengun are a little slow to recover when a player gets to the middle of the floor. Quality shooting teams have also been able to beat the zone by shooting over the top. The zone also limits Houston's rebounding advantage that they depended on last season.

The Rockets could benefit from having more minutes from smaller defenders like Josh Okogie or Tari Eason. Getting more time from Clint Capela, who has more experience in help defense, could help the big lineups defensive efforts as well.

Regardless, the Rockets can't afford to have a big lineup that isn't capable of playing the necessary defense or offense to compete against the best teams.