The Rockets’ “Ultra Tall Ball” has shown its limits

Done: face au ThunderTHE Rockets settled the the biggest starting five modern era with Thompson Amen, Kevin Durant, Smith of Smith, Alparent Smothered etc Steven Adams.

A strategy born of absence Fred VanVleetand which obliges Making Udoka to play the muscle and inch card with the “creative committee” to launch the system.

Against Thunder, at the start of the 2025/26 season, this five showed great defensive strength, but also many shortcomings in attack. Early in the matchup, the Rockets looked stuck, multiplying their 3-point shots. They finally found some rhythm when playing with one pivot, with Amen Thompson attacking the racket more. But when he threw in the towel, suffering from cramps, everything fell apart.

Twenty-one lost bullets!

“Yeah, it got more complicated when Amen came out” a reconnu Name of Udoka. “They put more pressure on us at that point. That’s what I mean by ‘committee’: we don’t need to depend on one player. If a defender harasses the ball carrier, we can give the ball to Alpi, KD or others. It’s a committee idea and we’ll have to build on that this season, as certain players improve. »

With 21 turnovers on just 23 passes, the Rockets wasted a lot, and Reed Shepard showed his limits on the dribble against the best defense in the NBA. When another student was responsible for picking up the ball, Alperen Sengun emerged as the first creator.

Alperen Sengun as a hub?

“Caruso is a good defender, but when Alperen comes to his place, we feel confident. Apart from this loss of the ball at the end of the match, he also made some good passes.” judges Houston’s coach. “That’s exactly what we’re going to have to do this year: create stretches. We’ve talked about ‘running by committee,’ with a few players who can run the game. When defensemen are very high on Reid or Kevin, Alperen can be a backup solution, and we know what he’s capable of doing when he gets in the racket.”

In general, will Alperen Senggun be the focal point of the offense and Kevin Durant more of a backup like he was in the second half?

“Honestly, it will depend on the match” answered Udoka’s name. “We have enough players capable of creating. When the defenders mark Kevin very well, it opens up the field for others. That’s why some were able to attack the circle in the first half, and that’s why Alpi had more space at the end of the match. They didn’t want to help him, so they stuck to Kevin, which allowed Alpi to have space to play. It won’t be the same game, but it won’t be the same game, but it won’t be the same scheme of defenders. the focal point of our attack. »