The Rockets’ offense is the best in the NBA, and Kevin Durant isn’t the only reason

The Houston Rockets they score like never before. Through the first two weeks of the season, Houston owns the No. 1 offensive rating in both the NBA and franchise history — a stark contrast to the defense-first Rockets of a year ago.

Of course, addition of Kevin Durant played a vital role. This Rockets offense wouldn’t be what it is without him. Houston struggled badly in the half court last season, which led to the addition of KD, and now ranks among the top five half court offenses in the league. Their true shooting percentage jumped from 24th last year to second best this season – both clear reflections of Durant’s influence.

But there is more to the game.

The Rockets finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference last season, despite being the league’s worst free-throw shooter (73%). That weakness reared its ugly head in the postseason, where their percentage dropped even lower to 70%. In fact, Houston scored as many points (728) as Golden State in that seven-game streak, but missed 60 free throws, compared to just 28 for the Warriors.

Rockets increase in importance on the line

This year, that changed dramatically. The Rockets have made a concerted effort to not only improve at the foul line, but to get there more often.

Of course, Durant’s career 88% certainly helped reconcile things. But assistant coach Cam Hodges for each player to sign a contract it predicted how many free throws they had to make in practice before leaving, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Durant, the veteran leader, has vowed to make 20 free throws in each of his practices.

“Those are easy points,” Durant said. “But they can hurt you too.”

Alperen Sengun must go 5-for-5 from the line twice in a row. Jabari Smith Jr. is under contract to make 23 of 25 free throws before leaving practice.

“It’s a way to hold the guys accountable and make it fun,” Hodges said. “And it seems to be working.”

Certainly yes. The Rockets currently rank 13th in free throw percentage with an improved 79%. They also get to the line much more often, as they lead the league in free throw attempts, averaging more than two per game over the next closest team.

Another veteran, Jeff Green, said the signings symbolized the players’ commitment to addressing what had previously been a major disadvantage.

“We know last year was a big Achilles heel for us, especially in the playoffs,” Green said. “But I think the main focus this year is as much as we play physical, being aggressive as we play to the rim, being aware of knocking down our free throws. Cam Hodges applied this contract to sign to take responsibility on himself, to improve by picking his own number and getting better free throws. So I think it was a good thing on his part, but we also make sure we took responsibility.”

The schedule also played a role in the Rockets’ early-season surge, both in terms of opponent quality and timing.

The Rockets use an early schedule

The Rockets dropped their first two games of the season to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons, who finished sixth in the Eastern Conference last year. Since then, they have faced two of the bottom five teams in the Eastern Conference from a year ago, followed by a depleted Boston Celtics team.

Amen Thompson should have beaten the Celtics in Boston a year ago. But before Saturday’s rematch, Udoka told his team, “Not tonight. We won’t need it,” as the Rockets went on to dismantle a far less talented Celtics team, 128-101.

Houston has beaten teams a combined 6-14 to start the year. Next? The Dallas Mavericks, who are 17-26 since trading Luka Doncic.

This stretch, where the offense didn’t just happen to take off, gave the Rockets valuable time to settle offensively, figure things out and build confidence.

Which was crucial as he not only integrates Durant, but also Thompson as a point guard and Reid Shepard in a bigger role.

Shepard has responded by averaging nearly 12 points per game over the past three games, culminating in a 4-for-5 three-point performance in Boston on Saturday.

It also helped Thompson settle into his new position and increase his confidence in running the offense. Thompson, who was disappointed by his lack of aggression in the first two games of the season, has had seven or more assists in each of the three games since. After the loss to Detroit, assistant coach Ben Sullivan told Thompson to trust his speed and instincts, something he’s been able to do against his last three opponents.

“He realized we lost a few close ones and what impact he could have had if he was a little more aggressive,” Udoka said. “He has a lot in attack, because now he is in the fullback position.”

Much like Rocky Balboa rebuilt his confidence by hitting lesser fighters in Rocky III after his loss to Clubber Lang, the Rockets are finding their rhythm during an early lull in the schedule.

And when stronger competition comes, such as the Thunder or Pistons again, the Rockets should be better prepared, sharper and far more confident for the fight ahead.