The Double-Big Lineup Is Still A Staple For The Rockets

The Houston Rockets are finalizing their lineups to begin the season, determining which groups of players are effective together and when they should enter the game. The starting lineup is mostly confirmed, with Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, and Alperen Sengun taking four of the five starting spots. Reed Sheppard may be the most natural fit along with the starters, but employing the double-big lineup with Steven Adams has some tantalizing potential.

The Rockets have figured out how to properly space the floor around Sengun, even with Adams on the court. Sengun plays well with non-shooters and fellow big men, using screens to create open space for himself and open the floor for passing lanes to his teammates.

Finding consistent offense with two big men on the floor is vital for the double-big lineup to have any legitimacy. The Rockets can't afford to sacrifice their offensive attack for an advantage on the offensive glass.

However, Houston's advantage on the offensive boards is by a large margin with both Sengun and Adams on the floor.

Shooters are more confident letting their shots fly when there are two high-quality rebounders in the paint. Add the contributions from Tari Eason and Thompson to the rebounding battle, and the Rockets have a roster of players who can do significant damage on the glass against opposing teams.

While rebounding is the main benefit from running two centers in the lineup, the team gets some defensive assistance as well.

The perimeter defense takes a slight drop with Adams on the floor instead of Eason or another wing defender, but the paint defense gets an extra boost with the presence of two bigs. Small ball handlers are not as confident driving against Adams in the paint, and Sengun has proven himself as an impact defender on the perimeter and in the paint.

Without Sengun's improvement on defense, the double-big lineup would have another difficult hole to fill. His performance is integral to the success of any two-center group on the floor.

This rotation also requires the team's shooters to knock down shots at a high level. Despite the higher rate of offensive rebounding, the Rockets must finish their second-chance opportunities, which are often 3-point shots.

There is validity in employing the double-big lineup more this season, especially with increased big man depth and a projected jump from Smith Jr. The Rockets are one of the longest teams in the NBA, and they could benefit from utilizing their size.