The Rockets Can't Wait For Kevin Durant To Save Them

The Houston Rockets are ready for Game 2 after taking a difficult loss against the Los Angeles Lakers in their postseason opener. The Rockets dropped the game after allowing Los Angeles' playmakers to run free and create efficient offense for shooters and slashers. Their own offense suffered as Kevin Durant's absence left a large scoring void on the team.

However, the Rockets shouldn't expect Durant to come and save the day for their team. Even when he eventually returns, they need much better play across the board to have any chance at stopping the Lakers from repeating their Game 1 performance.

A lot of the burden must fall on Amen Thompson and Alperen Şengün. These two players have the skill set to attack the Lakers' shaky paint defense and keep the defense off balance.

Their main issue lies with the intelligence of certain players on the Lakers. Jared Vanderbilt is a quality defender; LeBron James and Marcus Smart could have the highest basketball IQ in the series.

The Rockets must play with more speed and passing to overcome the Lakers' ability to be in the right places at the right time. Individual talent can help outplay strong positioning and scheme, but the Rockets haven't done a good job in using their individual talents to great effect.

Thompson and Şengün both struggled to finish at the rim and could not make things easier for players like Reed Sheppard and Jabari Smith Jr.

Sheppard still created his own opportunities and put up points, but it wasn't an efficient outing as he was expected to create nearly all of his own buckets. Smith Jr. doesn't have as much on-ball skill as Sheppard, but he still hit around his season average without the increased level of playmaking the Rockets showed to end the season.

The question remains: why couldn't the Rockets move the ball in a similar manner to their final games of the regular season? Is the absence of Durant the sole factor that helps them know where the ball should swing to during possessions?

Their offense is much better when players are moving and getting the ball in different spots. Durant adds the element of being able to score from anywhere, but the Rockets can still utilize their passing when he's out.

The Rockets' defense needs to be much improved too, but the Lakers likely won't be able to shoot as well as they did to begin the series. Houston's performance will likely rely on how its offensive performance fares moving forward. The Rockets must find a way to perform well, even without their best scorer.

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