The Rockets’ streak struggles grow as Stephen Adams sits

At 15-6, the Houston Rockets are off to their best start in eight seasons. But as cool as it was, their kryptonite appeared: second night navigation consecutive without Stephen Adams.

Houston became the last team in the NBA to play back-to-back games, having done it for the first time on December 1st. And so far, The Rockets dropped both games when they played without rest. First at the Utah Jazz and then Saturday night against the Dallas Mavericks, two currently non-playoff teams with less than 10 wins apiece.

Problem for Houston? Adams is not in the rotation for those games. The Rockets are intentionally holding him back for the second night of back-to-back games.

And in those games, Houston struggled throughout. Their defense wasn’t nearly as sharp (including surrendering a season-high in points to Utah). Their rebounding, usually the best in the league with Adams, has dropped noticeably. And on offense, the absence of Adam’s screening is felt when trying to create opportunities without a true point guard.

Despite these early warning signs, the Rockets have no plans to deviate from their approach just yet.

Making Udoka it won’t change Stephen Adams’ plan just yet

When asked about Adams’ availability, head coach Ime Udoka said that remains the plan “for now.”

Adams is 32 years old and is now two years removed from the knee injury that cost him his entire freshman season in Houston, and he hasn’t played a full campaign in eight years.

The Rockets manage his workload with the postseason in mind, prioritizing a 16-game playoff schedule over an 82-game regular season.

However, Houston must ensure that it enters the postseason in a strong position. Even with just two games to play, the Rockets are just percentages away from the No. 5 seed in a deep Western Conference.

As the schedule tightens, how well will the Rockets be able to hold off the teams behind them? Houston has 12 straight games left in its remaining 58 games. Add to that the fact that their star, Kevin Durant is already 37 years old and will also have to limit his playing time at some point too. Which further reduces the margin of error.

Houston’s next back-to-back includes the Denver Nuggets in a huge game later this month and then the Sacramento Kings, which suddenly becomes a tougher matchup without Adams.

Udoka’s team is very good at winning with their signature brand of basketball: slower pace, limited three-pointers and the best rebounding in the league. But can Houston win when it needs to play differently? Like when Adams is unavailable and their rebounding advantage disappears.

At some point, the Rockets are going to run into a tough matchup, or a team that has settled on its style, especially in a long playoff run. To win the title, Houston will need a reliable changeup. And, so far, they still haven’t found him.

Right now, the Rockets are going the Adams route. But with Adams slated to play at least 12 more games in a tight Western Conference race, Houston must find an answer to their one glaring kryptonite.