How the Houston Rockets defense has improved

After finishing 18th in overall defensive efficiency last season, the Houston Rockets have managed to show what a difference a year can make, as the team with the best record in basketball is on pace to finish top-10 for the first time since 2015. Here’s how Clutch City has managed to do it.

Despite never being known to boast one of the game’s top defenses, the Houston Rockets have more often than not found a way to pull out games by dominating opposing teams on offense, putting the ball through the hoop unlike any other team in the history of basketball.

Since the acquisition of James Harden via trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder five years ago, Houston has only fallen short of reaching the top seven or better in offensive efficiency just once. It is currently in the midst of putting together one of the best offensive campaigns that the league has ever seen behind the play of Harden, Clint Capela and Chris Paul.

That trio of stars has managed to help guide Clutch City to the best record in basketball, en route to becoming only the eighth team since the merger to put together multiple 13-game winning streaks in a single calendar year.

If the season were to end today, the Rockets would finish with the greatest offensive rating in league history, according to Basketball-Reference, surpassing last year’s Golden State Warriors and the 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers atop of the all-time leader board.

Yet despite their success on the most glamorous side of the floor, Houston has found a way to shut down teams on the other end over the last several months, thanks to the help of versatile wing defenders Luc Mbah a Moute, P.J. Tucker and Trevor Ariza.

As a team that sought to only outscore teams a season ago, the Rockets are now showing signs of becoming a legitimate championship contender under head coach Mike D’Antoni.

The Rockets currently rank eighth overall among all teams in defensive efficiency, allowing 104.2 points per 100 possessions. They sit second overall in steals with a total of 8.7 per contest.

"“Overall I think our defense is better,” D’Antoni said to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “You’re always trying to get up there. Top 10 probably gives us a legitimate shot of being deep in the playoffs. Top five gives us a really good shot.“Our goal is to always get better. We’d like to get to fifth or as high as we can.”"

Although D’Antoni has repeatedly stated that he would like to see his team finish in the top five in dating back to the beginning of the year, the 2016-17 Coach of the Year should be quite impressed to see how far the Rockets have come in the last year and a half on defense.

Houston is on pace to finish inside the top 10 in defensive efficiency for the first time since the 2014-15 season, and finally possesses the ability to get big-time stops with the help of newcomers Tucker and Mbah a Moute.

Those two possess the ability to switch out and defend guards on the perimeter, but they also have the strength to not get terrorized by opponents down on the low block, in what has become a vital skill-set in today’s pick-and-roll happy NBA.

In the minutes in which Tucker and Mbah a Moute have both been on the court together, the Rockets have given up 100.4 points per 100 possessions, per NBAWowy. They’ve figured out various ways to remain plastered onto opposing ball-handlers, be it on or off the ball. The tough-nosed defensive duo has also made a major impact with the ability to jump passing lanes and draw charges inside.

Now, Houston has three valuable players on the wing who can serve not only as solid spot-up shooters, but also take on the challenge of guarding the best guards in the game. This perfectly complements Paul, who can still make things happen with his quickness and cat-like instincts on defense himself.

As a result, D’Antoni’s commitment to defense can no longer be taken as a joke anymore, as the additions of Paul, Tucker and Mbah a Moute — alongside Harden, Ariza and Capela — provides the Rockets with the defensive catalysts they need in order to hold the rest of their teammates accountable.

The arrival of assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik, who was brought in by the offensive mastermind D’Antoni last season, has helped the Rockets develop a defense that forces players on the floor to constantly communicate with one another in an aggressive switching scheme.

"“It has to be done properly,” Bzdelik said per Feigen. “Switching can’t be a convenience. It has to be used as a weapon. It can be very effective because of the way the game is played. Our rules are, you switch to deny, you switch to force a turnover and you switch to takeaway a 3.“When you alternate between switching and different schemes, it keeps even great players a little off-balance.”"

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This is something that Houston has managed to do quite well for the first time in almost four seasons, as the Rockets’ newfound sense of urgency on defense has helped them emerge as a favorite to capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy this coming June.