Houston Rockets Are Already Learning Brutal Truths 1 Game Into Kevin Durant Era
A 125-124 double-overtime loss to the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder won't become a tell-all for the Houston Rockets. After all, it's Game 1 of 82 contests—a mere pitstop on a long, winding, months-long journey.
Some of it was good, much of it was not, and most—including the bright spots—could be hard to stomach.
Because we are a fearless people, we're going to talk about it all anyway.
The Amen Thompson PG Experience Will Be Rough
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Amen Thompson churned out a bunch of more-than-encouraging moments as the primary ball-handler before leaving the game with a calf issue.
His on-ball speed is genuinely ridiculous. He knows how to spray out on live-dribbles. And even Oklahoma City's toughest and strongest defenders bounce off his shoulders, which we can only assume are made from a unique hybrid of polypropylene and Teflon muscle tissue.
Thompson likewise deserves credit for both attempting jumpers and floaters and trying to eat up all the space the Thunder would give him. But the general aggression wasn't—and will not be—enough to paper over the obvious flaws.
Though he has point guard roots, dealing with pressure and traffic in the NBA is different—particularly amid Houston's spacing, and especially against this OKC defense. Teams also won't stop going under on screens or leaving him unattended from beyond the arc. And while Thompson uncorked seven three-point attempts in Game 1, he missed them all and grew visibly more hesitant as the night wore on.
Equally important, he's not suited to deal with full-court presses right now. He has the speed to beat them, but not necessarily the handle. His body contorts more East-West than his feet.
That's a problem for both him and the Rockets, because they don't have anyone else to take on this role in higher volumes. We saw as much on Tuesday night. Too often Thompson was left out to dry, because no one on the team is familiar enough with bringing the ball up.
To that end, Houston better hope this calf issue is nothing more than a single-game blip. Thompson may be an imperfect solution to the ball-handling conundrum, but he's virtually the only one it has, because...
Reed Sheppard Isn't Ready
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This pains me to say, as someone who had Reed Sheppard in the Top 2 of my 2024 NBA Draft Big Board. But it's the truth.
Never mind that the Thunder offense relentlessly targeted and subsequently chewed up and spit him out. Sheppard's own offense was uninspiring. The sophomore went 3-of-11 from the floor, including 2-of-7 from three, en route to dropping nine points and four assists.
The 21-year-old turned in some elusive on-ball moments but didn't do much to stretch Oklahoma City's defenders out of the paint when he was beyond the arc. And if you were hoping he'd be a viable alternative to Amen Thompson when bringing the ball up against pressure, well, those hopes were dashed:
After racking up just 654 minutes last season, Sheppard is essentially a rookie. And again, the Thunder defense is unique. Most other teams aren't nearly as nightmarish.
Given time, he might develop into a reliable primary or secondary ball-handler who legitimately cleans up Houston's junky spacing, and who doesn't seem like he's processing what's in front of him at quarter-speed.
Do the Rockets have that kind of time? That's the question.
Faster Offense will be Harder to Come By
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Last year, 14.8 percent of the Rockets' points came out of fast-break opportunities. Against the Thunder on Tuesday night, they mustered a grand total of...two.
This comes out to just 1.6 percent of their offense, which is legitimately bonkers.
Now, Houston didn't live on the break last season as much as people think, particularly off live rebounds. And it doesn't have to exist solely on the run now. Kevin Durant arms them with a big-time half-court outlet, even in the absence of Fred VanVleet.
However, the Rockets' absence of a clear-cut primary playmaker slowed their ability to get up the court after Thunder makes and even turnovers. While so much credit goes to Oklahoma City's blanketing defense, confusion over the pecking order and an overarching lack of on-ball urgency after Amen Thompson are also to blame.
On the bright side, of everything we'll mention here, this feels most fixable. Rumor has it the Rockets won't have to face the Thunder every night. Even so, the jumbled ball-handling hierarchy could leave Houston operating later into the shot clock than it would prefer—or should.
This Needs to Be Alperen Şengün's Team
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With all due respect to Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson, the Rockets offense was at its best versus the Thunder when running through Alperen Şengün.
The 23-year-old was every bit as good as his 39 points and seven assists on 12-of-24 shooting suggests.
Oklahoma City was often no match for his bulldozing drives and shoulder-heavy meanderings in the post. He proved to be just as good of an option to bring the ball up for Houston as anyone.
And perhaps most notably, Şengün shot 10-of-11 at the foul line and 5-of-11 on threes:
Houston can't expect him to be this deadeye every game. But if the perimeter touch is going to improve at all, his interior touch and physicality and general playmaking render him a much more effective hub than either KD or Thompson.
Rockets Aren't Built to Optimize KD's Workload
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Kevin Durant logged just over 47 of a possible 58 minutes against the Thunder.
That isn't ideal for a 37-year-old who has averaged nearly 37 minutes per game over the past four seasons. Especially when it comes against this Oklahoma City defense, which is a special brand of generational hell.
Houston can't blame the overtimes, either. Durant tallied over 20 minutes in the first half and was flirting with the 40-minute benchmark in regulation.
He may love to hoop, but yuh-eesh.
Complicated still, his offense didn't come super easily. The Rockets weren't sending him nearly enough ball screens when he had possession down the stretch. And when he didn't have the ball, he too often assumed the role of spectator.
Finding a balance will be paramount. The problem is, striking happy mediums is a lot tougher without a tried-and-true floor general to help delineate touches. More two-man actions between KD and Şengün should be considered mandatory.
Most of all, Houston must find a way to better manage his minutes. Whether that's a realistic goal while remaining in contention near the top of the Western Conference remains to be seen.
Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
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