Do rebounds matter? The small-ball Houston Rockets are going to find out

Russell Westbrook

At their highest level, the Houston Rockets need Russell Westbrook on the floor. He’s sitting out the back end of back-to-backs for much of the season, which of course won’t be an issue when the playoffs begin. Since the trade, he’s missed two games and the Rockets are 1-1 in his absence.

In what has been one of the greatest turnarounds of this season, the Rockets need Westbrook in order to function in their small-ball configuration. Over the last 10 games, when Westbrook is on the floor, the Houston Rockets have a solid defensive rating of 103.5 and an outstanding offensive rating of 114.9.

The Rockets create offense effectively with an effective field goal percentage of 56.6 percent and a true shooting percentage of 60.6 percent. They play at a breakneck pace, refusing to allow their opponents to get set up defensively in the half-court. Their 105.2 possessions per 48 minutes would be a fraction of a percentage behind the fastest team in the NBA on the season, the Milwaukee Bucks.

Strangely enough, the wheels fall off defensively when Russell Westbrook is off the floor. Over the 10-game stretch, the Rockets give up almost 10 more points when he’s off at 112.8, although the offense remains virtually unchanged at 114.9.

As perhaps the second-best rebounder now on the active roster behind Tucker, there’s a noticeable dip in rebounding when he’s off the floor. While their rebounding percentage of 45.8 percent is woeful when he’s on, it’s even worse at 43.9 percent when he’s off the floor.

It’s bizarre, but even though James Harden is this team’s MVP candidate, this small-ball revolution may have made Russell Westbrook its true most important player.