The Rockets ranked second in the defensive strength list. Have they been "slapped"? They have added Adu

The Huomi may all know that the reason why the team was able to achieve second place in the West District last season depends entirely on their iron-blooded defense. For the Rockets' defense next season, it is likely that it will not be too watery, and it may be stronger, because defense is their foundation, and they will add Durant next season.

Their defense will remain high, which is almost certain. It's hard to imagine that the Rockets, which have been heavily offensive and defensive for the past 10 years, are now one of the best teams in the league to defend. In fact, just three years ago, they ranked 29th in the league in defensive efficiency, and the same was true the year before.

The turning point was when the team hired Ime Uduka to replace Stephen Silas. Since Uduka took office in 2023, the Rockets have ranked ninth and fourth in defensive ratings respectively. Interestingly, the Rockets were actually close to the overall rotation during the Uduka and Silas periods, but on this basis, there was an additional VanVleet and Dillon. So is the fans working on Uduka’s defensive system or are the two veterans working together to change the Rockets’ defense?

Recently, Fadeaway World, a website that is more authoritative and enjoys data ranking, ranked the Rockets second in the NBA's 25-26 season defensive strength list. Do you think it's high or low? I personally think it's a bit "shouldering" the Rockets.

This is the original words of FWW:

Rockets will become the highest-height team in the NBA in the 2025-26 season. Their most likely starting five include Fred VanVleet (6ft), Amen Thompson (6ft 7), Kevin Durant (6ft 11), Jabary Smith Jr. (6ft 10) and Alperen Shinkin (6ft 11). They will take advantage of their extraordinary height advantages to frequently interfere with and block opponents’ shots on the outside and at the basket.

They lost Dillon Brooks (Good Defender) and Jaylen Green (Medium Defender), but brought in Dorian Finney-Smith (Good Defender) and Kevin Durant (Good Defender), so their defensive performance this season is expected to be flat or even surpass last season.

Their defensive rebounds are also key to success, and they still have Alperen Shinkyung and Steven Adams, and their overall roster is larger than before, so the rebounding ability will remain strong.

The Rockets are probably the most eye-catching defensive team in the league and will be very difficult opponents to score in the 2025-26 season. Houston also signed strong winger Josh Okogie, which helped make up for Dillon Brooks' loss from leaving the team, provided Okogie gets a lot of playing time. Perhaps Okogi's greatest contribution lies in his defensive ability.

So guess who is the first place? That's right, it's the defending champion Thunder. I have to admire the Thunder who played NBA historical defense last season and the NBA phenomenal aggression and defensiveness. They ranked first in the league in steal list and second in the block list.

If only the outside defense resources are discussed, they recognize second, but no one recognizes first. Shay Gilgers-Alexander, Alex Caruso, Carson Wallace, Lou Dort, Jaylen Williams are all frontline defenders. However, the Rockets' wing defensive resources are better than theirs, and both sides should be at the "55" level in the interior.

Many experts believe that the Rockets' defense improvement in the new season lies in Durant. He is the eighth scorer in history. Everyone knows that his defense is not weak, but they may not be clear that if his defense has system bonuses, he is also a front-line defender.

Relatively speaking, Adu's defense is more consuming. Take the Suns as an example. If he is allowed to play as a center with five small and matched with players like Okogi, he will often be extremely outstanding. But if he is allowed to play in defense with Allen and Booker for a long time, it will be a bit difficult for him to take into account both offense and defense at this time.

Do you think that with the assistance of Durant, the Rockets can challenge the Thunder's defensive hegemony position? Personally, if it is just about defense, the Rockets are completely true after adding Durant