Inside The Rockets

Rockets Defense Among Best in Last 25 Years

The Houston Rockets defense is setting records this season.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) shoots against Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) during the fourth quarter in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) shoots against Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) during the fourth quarter in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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The Houston Rockets have established themselves as one of the best defensive teams in the league, but they are playing so well on that side of the floor that they are stacking up amongst the best in recent memory.

In terms of points per 100 possessions better than league average for a season, the 2024-25 Rockets rank seventh out of all teams in the past 25 seasons.

The only teams that rank ahead of this year's Rockets are the 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs, 2003-04 Detroit Pistons, 2019-20 Milwaukee Bucks, 2007-08 Boston Celtics, 2003-04 Spurs and the 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder, who beat Houston in Saturday's NBA Cup semifinal.

The Rockets defense is good, but it ranks second behind the Thunder, who have emerged as the top team in the Western Conference standings for the second year in a row.

Defense is half of the battle when trying to build a good team, and the Rockets have done that by placing these long, lanky defenders at every position.

Now, the test towards becoming a true championship contender is finding some kind of rhythm, flow and consistency on offense. The Rockets lack a true player that can go off for 20 points per game every night, even if there is the potential for that in some of the players on the roster.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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