Houston Rockets’ New Season Begins with Strategic Changes

After a long off-season, the Houston Rockets are poised to begin the 2024 NBA season with renewed vigor. The team’s first game is set for Monday night, where they will face the Utah Jazz on the road in a matchup of two lottery teams charting different paths for the future. Later in the week, on Wednesday, the Rockets will visit the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were last year’s top seed in the Western Conference.

The Utah Jazz concluded their previous season with a 31-51 record, trailing the Rockets by ten games in victories. As they re-evaluate their strategy, the Jazz recently secured the services of forward Lauri Markkanen by negotiating a maximum extension. However, a significant strategic question for the Jazz this season revolves around whether they will seek to enhance their lottery odds from the outset or aim for competitiveness that results in a mid-tier finish in the standings.

Conversely, the Thunder are eager to replicate their exemplary performance from last season, which saw them achieve 57 wins. This level of success is something the Rockets aspire to emulate in their rebuilding efforts. The Thunder’s roster, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, includes a young core comparable to Houston’s, but with the crucial addition of a true superstar, a resource the Rockets currently lack.

For the Rockets, maintaining their regular starting lineup from last season is probable as they kick off the new season, although several intriguing questions persist due to new key players expected to contribute significantly this year. Jackson Gatlin from Locked on Rockets discussed the potential of the team utilizing a ‘double-big’ lineup with head coach Ime Udoka. The possibility involves pairing center Alperen Sengun with the newly-acquired Steven Adams. Udoka noted that while this formation had been considered, it typically requires one of the big men to be an adept shooter. On assessing Sengun’s readiness to fit this role, Udoka remarked that his development as a “spacing big” is largely reliant on his willingness to seize open shots.

The Rockets acquired Adams from Memphis in exchange for several second-round picks during last year’s trade deadline, although Adams did not participate for the remainder of the season due to surgery recovery. Now fully fit, Adams is anticipated to fulfill a significant role, addressing one of the team’s notable vulnerabilities from last season: interior defense against physically dominant power forwards, exemplified by players such as Denver‘s Aaron Gordon. During such challenging matchups, coach Udoka frequently depended on the experience of veteran forward Jeff Green.

Looking forward, the Rockets are optimistic that 20-year-old forward Jabari Smith Jr. will continue to grow stronger and more capable in these tough matchups. Nonetheless, they plan to deploy Adams alongside Sengun in relevant situations to leverage Adams’ defensive strengths while preserving Sengun’s offensive contributions. For most other scenarios, Adams is expected to support Sengun off the bench. The potential of a ‘double-big’ lineup is just one of many developments to watch as the Rockets embark on their new season this October.