Houston Rockets fans... check out these stats...

The Good:

PPS (Points Per Shot): 1.41 (2nd) Only the Heat ahead.

Opp PPS (Opponents' Points Per Shot): 1.13 (4th) Only Indiana, San Antonio, Chicago ahead.

PPSd (Points Per Shot Differential. Difference between PPS and Opp PPS): +0.29 (1st) 1st by a wide margin. Followed by Indiana, Miami, San Antonio, OKC.

Offrtg(# of points scored per 100 possessions): 108.1 (3rd) Heat, Clippers ahead.

Defrtg(# of points allowed per 100 possessions): 101.6 (17th)

NetRtg(Differnce between Offrtg and Defrtg): 6.4 (4th) Spurs, Pacers, Heat ahead.

eFG% (Effective FG% is FG% adjusted for 3 pointers being worth 1.5x more than 2 point shots): 57.6% (2nd) Only the Heat ahead.

TS% (Shooting percentage that takes into account the value of 3 pointers AND free throws): 58.9% (2nd) Only the Heat ahead.

Opp FGA (Opponents' Field Goal Percentage): 41.8% (2nd) Only Indiana shuts down opponents better.

Opp DRPG: (Opponents' Defensive Rebounds Per Game): 27.1 (1st)





The Bad:

DRP (Defensive Rebound Percentage: % of defensive rebounds Rockets get): 71.8% (28th)

Turnover Ratio (# of turnovers per 100 possessions): 19.0 (30th)








There are the numbers. So, what does this all mean?

1. Surprisingly, the Rockets are one of the best defensive teams in the league. Yes, you read that right. They hold their opponents to only 1.13 points per shot... 4th best in the league. And they hold their opponents to only 41.8% field goal percentage... 2nd best in the league.

The problem is that the Rockets struggle getting the defensive rebound. They are 28th in defensive rebound %. This means Rockets' opponents get multiple chances to score per possession. Which is why the Rockets' opponents' points per possession is 14th in the league.

So the Rockets do get stops... but they give their opponents multiple chances to score due to poor rebounding.

2. Houston turns the ball over a lot. Enough said.

3. Houston leads the league in the opponents' defensive rebounding. Meaning, the Rockets' opponents do not get a lot of defensive rebounds. That's good, right? Not really. It's deceiving. The Rockets score a lot, which prevents rebounds, and they shoot a lot of free throws, which also prevents rebounds. They aren't necessarily grabbing a ton of offensive rebounds to keep their opponents off the glass. Their opponents just have less chances to grab the rebounds.


So in conclusion, the Rockets' #1 problem is rebounding. That is where there problems stem from. My theory is that Dwight is ultra aggressive when playing defense, and this causes him to be out of position, and the other players on the team are failing to get his back and grab the board when he attempts to block shots. Could be due to players trying to run the fast break and not securing the rebound.

Secondly, Dwight's presence in the middle forces more outside shots. Outside shots = long rebounds. Long rebounds means it is more likely the offensive team can get the offensive rebound.

So what have we learned? Basically, the Rockets offense is really good. Their defense is actually surprisingly good, too. The Rockets having bad defense is a myth. Their problem is rebounding.