When Will The Rockets' Defense Catch Up to Their Offense?

The Houston Rockets are an elite offensive team. To start the season, they have scored the most points per game while hitting the highest percentage of three-pointers per game. Their three-point shooting may take a hit after the the injury to Tari Eason who had been hitting at a high rate to begin the season.

However, Eason's presence on the offensive end isn't what will be missed the most for the best offensive team in the league. It's the team's defense that is still ramping up in the early part of the year.

Since the arrival of Head Coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets have established their identity as a defensive team, dominating teams with their length and activity and keeping things close even when the offense couldn't match the team's performance on defense.

The Rockets have still been a strong defensive team, but the offense has clearly been Houston's best element at this point in the season.

This is largely because of the performance of Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant. They've received support from Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., and they are still awaiting the return of Dorian Finney-Smith to the lineup.

Finney-Smith's return could help the Rockets lift their defense back up to the level of their offense.

He is accustomed to playing against the most difficult opposing matchups on defense, holding that spot down for the Dallas Mavericks during a run to the Finals.

The presence of Finney-Smith's deep shooting should help the offense stay elite, and his point-of-attack defense should be a significant boost to a defense that will be missing Eason for the next several weeks.

The Rockets are looking to become a top five team on both sides of the ball as they try to establish themselves as a legitimate contender for a title this season. At this point, the offense is working at a high level that may fluctuate throughout the season just due to the amount of success they've found early.

The defense isn't a liability for the Rockets, but it's clear that it is not the highest priority for the team anymore with the new additions to a highly improved offense. Much of the energy has been targeted towards creating high-quality offense to keep their league-best scoring at a high level.

Once the defense can return to its usual effectiveness, the Rockets should be on a fast track to be one of the league's best teams on both sides of the ball.