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Houston Rockets: Defense is the recipe for success
Udoka tailors his defensive schemes to the talented defenders on his roster. The “Terror Twins” Tari Eason and Amen Thompson on the wing have already made a name for themselves. Their physicality and game intelligence make building up the opponent’s game a difficult undertaking.
Both Eason and Thompson have a similar player profile: The first-round picks from 2022 and 2023 are tall and athletic wingers who can defend multiple positions and are among the best players at their position in terms of steals, blocks and offensive rebounding.
Due to their offensive limitations (both hit under 35 percent of their threes), the duo currently comes off the bench and has a strong +11.4 net rating when they are on the field together. Opposing teams have an effective completion rate (eFG) of just 48.7 percent. Both defensively and overall, the Eason-Thompson lineups are among the best in the league.
In addition to Thompson and Eason, Udoka also has other talented defenders in the starting lineup (Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr.). He also knows how to let weaker defenders like Fred VanVleet or Jalen Green defend above their level within his systems.
The result: The Rockets allow just 103.7 points per 100 possessions, second in the NBA. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder are better. The Udoka team pays particular attention to the opposing threes: they only allow 34.8 triples per game, third place in the league.
