Surprises and Disappointments Through the Rockets' First 10 Games

Durant recently said that he considers Sengun his equal now, and that's encouraging on several fronts. Ime Udoka has been trying to cut Durant's minutes and workload to preserve the future Hall of Fame forward for the postseason, which naturally generated some pushback from the star himself -- but on the court, at least, Durant is stepping aside just enough. He would only do so, it would seem, if he really did think Sengun and the other younger veterans were ready for those expanded roles. The Rockets have four players (those two, plus Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr.) averaging between 11.8 and 15.6 shots per night, and they're all shooting 51 percent. Yes, all of them. That variety will make the Rockets more difficult to scout and defend as the season progresses, and will get everyone ready for the minutes that matter in May and ideally June.

2. Biggest Concern: Center Depth

This seemed to be a strength on paper, with the Rockets supplementing Sengun with two proven veterans who still offer a little something, maybe more in the case of Steven Adams than Clint Capela. But Adams continues to break down physically, and he has no timetable for his return after a calf injury. And Capela is missing time with an ankle issue. The Rockets have enough length to guard up in some cases, but rebounding is one of the team's overall strengths, and they need at least one healthy backup big to sustain that.

3. Worth Watching: Defensive Slippage

It's not a crisis, yet. The Rockets are still 10th in the NBA in defensive rating, and they have the personnel (starting with Thompson) to rise back up. But there's been a little leaking of late. The Rockets have been exceptional in defending the three-point arc (2nd in the NBA at 31.6%), but are giving up too many easy ones in the paint, which is why they're just 16th in overall field goal percentage defense. They don't have a lot of rim protection, so the key is keeping drivers out.