How the Rockets’ impact in New Zealand is destroying opponents

Steve Nash and LeBron James he admired Houston Rockets‘ elite offensive rebounding ability on their latest podcast “Mind the Game,” a force that has helped redefine their identity.

“Steven Adams he gets over one in four offensive rebounds when he’s on the court,” Nash explained. “Our biggest values ​​are layups, free throws, then offensive rebounds. Because offensive rebounds lead to more layups, more free throws or 3-pointers. So you can see the value of Steven Adams in that offense, when we don’t really think of him as an offensive lineman.

LeBron then emphasized how disruptive Adams is on the glass.

“You know, as an opposing team, when you face Houston, one of the main focuses is Stephen Adams,” LeBron said. “You need the whole team, plus the bench and the coaching staff, you’re your security team, to knock him out. He’s ridiculously strong. You can’t knock him out with two men; you need three or four men around him.”

Nash added that Adams’ gravitas directly helps his teammates.

“Then other guys get opportunities, because you have to double him, triple him on the glass,” Nash said. “He’s putting himself in a position to make a play on the ball even when three guys are trying to get him out … unbelievable impact. That’s a pretty cool adjustment (for the league).”

The new identity of the Rockets

In a league dominated by three-point shooting for a decade, the Rockets currently own it No. 2 offensive rating by being the best rebounding team in the league. Despite shooting the fewest 3-pointers and playing at the second-slowest pace in the league, Houston is succeeding by flirting with the best rebounding rate of this century.

“Not to sound mean or anything, but if you know your team isn’t that good at shooting, you’re going to need more shots,” Adams explained.

And until he gets it much deserved attention for that, New Zealand’s influence goes far beyond the 32-year-old centre.

New Zealand influence

Paul Henare was the head coach of the New Zealand national team from 2015 to 2019. He viewed offensive rebounds as a triple-option offense in college football: a way for less talented teams to level the playing field. While NBA teams have shied away from crashing too many players on the offensive glass, theoretically making them more vulnerable in transition defense, Henare taught his group to be ultra-aggressive, sending all five players to the rim.

To address transition defense, Henare added an element to offensive rebounding called “marking,” in which his players don’t just crash the glass recklessly, but instead approach defenders in certain areas of the floor and block their paths to leaks in transition, a term you’ll hear in college basketball today.

Current New York Knicks coach Mike Brown was one of the coaches who hopped on a video call with Henare in 2021 to learn more, as he prepared to coach Nigeria’s national team at the Tokyo Olympics. Which is why it’s no accident the number of NBA teams that have recovered more than 30% of their turnovers it went from just one in 2020-2021 to five next season. And this year? 20 teams do it. But nothing more effective than Rocket.

Making Udokaearly adoption

For Houston head coach Ime Udoku, his interest also began in 2021, while he was still coaching the Boston Celtics. Udoka experimented with a greater emphasis on the offensive rebound that year with the Celtics’ summer league team by sending three players to the glass on every shot. That eventually spread to their G League team, where Maine began sending four guys to crash.

It’s no coincidence that Udoka’s former team is now fifth in offensive rebounding. Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers, led by Tiago Splitter, Udoka’s former assistant coach in Houston, are in second place, just behind the Rockets.

And when Udoka was acquired by Houston, the Rockets traded for Steven Adams from New Zealand in the middle of the season, although he was injured that year and could not play. However, the trade has since paid off enormously.

Historic numbers in Houston

This year, Houston opened the season with the highest starting five in NBA history, and, through 21 games, is shooting 41% of its missed shots, which would obliterate the modern-era single-season record (which dates back to 1996 when the NBA began tracking play-by-play).

According to the Second Spectrum, the Rockets won the offensive rebounding battle 56% of the time when sending three players to the cup. For some veterans, the change requires years of unlearning habits and training.

“There are certain guys that are a little bit older, more experienced,” Udoka said. “They are what they are at this point, but we still want them to go and be a body. We see the numbers and how it affects us.”

The league seems to be moving toward an offensive rebound, but no team is doing it better than the Rockets. For Udoka, this change was four years in the making. For Adams, it’s natural. And for Houston, that could be enough to propel them into championship contention.