Rockets defense improving from last season

By Anna Catherine Alderman

When people recognize the Rockets, it is usually for their outstanding offensive abilities. James Harden is one of the most well-known players, arguably the best, in the league. He leads the league in points per game. This statistic and Harden’s incredibly talented teammates like Chris Paul and Clint Capela have been discussed incessantly, but people rarely explore the Rockets’ defense.

In the Western Conference, the Rockets face many high-powered, fast-paced offenses such as Golden State and Oklahoma City. This usually creates high scoring games with little defense. However, the Rockets are setting themselves apart with developing defensive game and strong offensive performances.

While the Rockets are not leading in defensive statistics, they are quietly improving their defensive game from last season. This season, as a team, the Rockets average 8.60 steals per game, up from an average of 8.17 last season. Additionally, they have increased from 4.29 to 4.76 blocks per game and from 33.5 average defensive rebounds per game to 34.4.

These improvements have helped the Rockets tremendously. It is no coincidence that last season, they finished third in the Western Conference, and they are currently ranked first. They are clearly doing something right.

In addition to leading the league in team offensive rating, the Rockets are also currently ranked eighth in team defensive rating. They fall behind three other Western Conference teams, the Jazz, the Spurs and the Warriors. This is an improvement from last season when they were ranked 18, and even the season before when they were ranked 21.

With their defensive improvements and continued thriving performance on offense, the Rockets are setting themselves up for success in the upcoming playoffs.