Rockets Contending, But How Can They Sustain It?

The Houston Rockets are second in the Western Conference standings, giving them an opportunity to be one of the final teams standing in the NBA this season.
It's a new feeling for this young group of players that have been in the lottery for each of the past four seasons.
However, while they have been strong, there is still room for improvement.
"The Rockets' renaissance in recent years -- quickly transforming from a young, raw and undisciplined group to a title contender -- always centered around defense over offense, between the choice to hire Ime Udoka as coach to the veteran acquisitions of Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Year 1 of Houston's grand experiment saw the team finish ninth on defense and 20th on offense, with the offense expected to improve as the team's young talent came into its own," ESPN's Neil Paine writes.
"This has happened, to a degree: Houston now sits fourth on defense and 11th on offense, a far greater balance than before. But the Rockets still need to improve their shooting -- they're 23rd in 3s per 100 possessions and 27th in 3P% -- to bring their offense even more in line with an elite defense."
There are ways that the Rockets can make these changes, especially with the trade deadline next week, but there isn't a clear-cut way to fix these issues.
"There is a sense that, rather than making a small upgrade to address a targeted concern such as shooting, the Rockets would only shake up their roster-building timeline for a superstar, according to Windhorst. Perhaps that is true, but they are also under the tax and have expiring deals and other players with value to unload-- both factors that would at least make improved offense a plausible goal for the deadline," Paine writes.
The Rockets could let the players on the roster themselves solve these issues as they have corrected a lot of their shortcomings in just a short amount of time, but the pressure of being in the contender conversation could spark expedited moves in the not-too-distant future.
The Rockets are set to play the Memphis Grizzlies tonight at 8:30 p.m. CT.
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