How the Houston Rockets stunningly became elite on defense

In 2020-21, the Houston Rockets ranked 27th of 30 teams in defensive rating (114.4). The next season, they ranked last (116.4). Last season, they ranked 29th (118.6). Now, in 2023-24, the Rockets have the fourth-best defensive rating in the NBA at 108.1. They've done it through a mix of personnel changes, scheme changes and — buzzword alert! — culture changes. (Note: All stats through Tuesday.)

The numbers

Houston (8-7) stands out from the rest of the pack in a few different ways. Firstly, this team protects the paint — per NBA.com, it is third in opposing paint points, only giving up 42.8 a game. The Rockets also limit opposing fast breaks better than any other team by a long shot, giving up seven fast-break points per game. 

Somewhat surprisingly, the Rockets don't excel in the "individual" defensive stats; they are 26th in blocks and 25th in steals, meaning a lot of their defensive success comes from great on-ball defense, communication and scheme.

Houston has also gotten a bit lucky in some categories, such as opposing three-point shooting, where it ranks second (32.4%). This stat isn't all luck, and being near the top of this list means, partly, that a team defends the perimeter well — which Houston does. But opponents will not shoot nearly five percent below league average from deep all season. In other words, a regression to (or almost to) the mean is coming soon.

With that being said, Houston's defense as a whole is certainly not a fluke. This team communicates well, has an incredibly competent defensive coach and has the personnel necessary to remain elite on defense all season.

The new guys

Houston signed Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet for stability purposes. Stability of any kind, really, because for the past three seasons, Houston just hasn't had many — or any — veterans willing to lead by example on the court.VanVleet changed that immediately, bringing a steady hand on offense (9.2 assists per game) and also providing intelligent and physical defense — an aspect of his game that has long been overlooked.

The team signed Brooks, meanwhile, almost solely for defense. He has never scored efficiently (though he is shooting 45% from three-point range this season) and his main role is, and has always been, primary wing stopper — a role he (rightfully) prides himself on.

Brooks was expected to bring some antics too, and, well, he has done that, because he might be physically incapable of not providing antics. His insistence on manufacturing a rivalry with LeBron James directly led to a Houston loss earlier in November, when he tried to steal an inbounds pass with seconds remaining just to make a flashy play rather than play straight-up defense.

Regardless, Brooks has lived up to his reputation as a legitimately good defensive stopper. Brooks sets the tone for Houston's defense by playing the role of irritant, a role that every elite defense needs someone to play.

The same guys, just different

Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jae'Sean Tate and Jock Landale probably aren't the first players who pop into your head when you think of great defense. Each of them, however, has bought into the system that has led to a team defensive effort, even if a lot of Houston's players aren't elite individual defenders.

Meanwhile, Tari Eason has evolved. Now in his second season, the 6-foot-8 forward from LSU showed glimpses of being a high-level defender as a rookie and now he's turning that talent into results.

Eason has only played in eight games but stands out whenever he is on the court. His block rate of 3.4 ranks first among wings (if you want to call Eason a wing), per Cleaning The Glass. He has been one of the best rebounding wings in basketball, too, posting a rebound rate of 18.6, an elite mark for a non-center. Let's see if he can get anywhere close to these numbers for a whole season.

New coach

The impact of new coach Ime Udoka, hired in April, has been felt immediately. In his one season as Boston's head coach, Udoka led the C's to the league's best defensive rating (106.2). Boston marched to the NBA Finals that season thanks in large part to its defense.

The makeup of this Houston team is almost the polar opposite of that Boston team — the Celtics were anchored in the back by Robert Williams and Al Horford, and its best point-of-attack defender was its "point guard," Marcus Smart.

Even with a different team build, however, Udoka is replicating the defensive success he found in Boston.