Few expected the Houston Rockets to take a leap this season, especially after leaving last year’s roster largely unchanged. Yet sometimes, patience is all that it takes for a lottery team to evolve into a legitimate playoff contender.

The Rockets have won nine of their last 11 games, including three wins in the Emirates NBA Cup, and now find themselves in second place in the Western Conference with a 14-6 win-loss record.

What’s interesting about Houston’s success this season is that while they are led by players best known for their exploits on the offensive end such as Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, it is their defense that has turned them into one of the best teams in the NBA over the past month.

Head coach Ime Udoka has transformed the Rockets into a defensive powerhouse, one that is currently ranked second in the NBA with a defensive rating of 103.7—trailing only the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder. They also lead the league in rebounds with 35.8 per game and rank in the top six for both steals and blocks. Their defense is so dominant that it has pulled their net rating up to fourth despite an offensive rating that ranks 17th.

Houston has achieved this through a collective effort, with five players–Dillon Brooks, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, and Fred VanVleet–ranking among the top 20 in the league in defensive rating (Minimum of 20 minutes played per game). 

Brooks is averaging 12.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game which is close to his career averages, but his impact to this team’s emerging winning culture goes beyond the stat sheet. As one of the older players on the Rockets, he has helped set the tone for them defensively and it seems to have rubbed off on his younger teammates. 

The same goes for VanVleet, who also brings championship experience to this team from his time with the Toronto Raptors. His hard-nosed, defense-first style of play at the point guard position is disruptive to opposing offenses and helps lay the foundation on every defensive possession.

Beyond these two veterans, two younger players, Thompson and Eason, have also contributed significantly this season. Thompson, the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, continues to come off the bench for the Rockets, but has begun closing out games over these past few weeks. The 6’7, 209 lbs guard is extremely versatile on defense and is already averaging 1.3 steals and one block, in addition to 11.9 points, seven rebounds, and 2.1 assists in only 26.7 minutes per game.

Meanwhile, the third-year forward Eason is putting on one of the most impressive per-minute campaigns in recent memory with 11.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks in only 22 minutes a contest.

Houston should only get better as these two up-and-coming players settle further into their roles. With these defensive stalwarts complementing the budding offensive talents of Sengun and Green, it should only be a matter of time before the Rockets end their four-year postseason drought.

The last Rockets team to make a deep playoff run leaned heavily on the offensive brilliance of James Harden. This time, Houston is building its identity around an elite defense. Whether this approach yields greater success though remains to be seen.