The Young Rockets Are Better When They Don't Defer

The Houston Rockets just saved a historic moment as Kevin Durant passed Michael Jordan to reach the top five in NBA scoring all-time. He's often regarded one of the best scorers of all time, and now he has the numbers to back it up after a big victory against the Miami Heat.

While Durant played a big role in the win with his scoring, the game was won by the young players stepping up and filling their role when needed.

Often times, the role they must fill is to be one of the leaders of the team in performance. The Rockets are much better when these young players are more aggressive and involved with the offense.

The Rockets may have solved the Durant double teams by placing either Amen Thompson or Alperen Şengün in the middle of the floor when the double team comes. These players have the size and the vision to make the right decision from that spot to take advantage of the four-on-three situation in the middle of the floor.

Şengün and Thompson consistently made the right decisions from that spot and helped keep the offense flowing. They created open shots for Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard, and they were able to take advantage with their own scoring when the opportunity presented itself.

Sheppard took full advantage of his opportunities, showing his value as an on-ball threat. He is also a large piece to solving the Durant double team issue, stretching the floor with his shooting and putting pressure on defenses with his handle and decision making.

He is one of the best players on the team at handling high pressure on-ball defense, and it isn't likely that he receives a double-team to knock him off his path or force him to give up the ball.

Aaron Holiday's increased minutes spoke to the success of having extra ball handlers in the game to prevent Durant from being put into difficult situations at the top of the key.

Durant is put into these situations because of the Rockets' desire to feed him the ball in every critical situation, regardless of their own advantage or position. There have been times this season where ball handlers like Thompson or Sheppard have not even considered an attack to the basket, opting to waste valuable seconds trying to get Durant the ball through deny-ball defense.

The Rockets have given away turnovers trying to force feed Durant instead of taking open or easier opportunities, likely because of their deference to him and his proven track record this season of making impossible plays look easy.

However, Durant needs his teammates to be aggressive to make his job even easier. If the rest of the team is a threat and is capable of beating teams when they have the advantage, there's less pressure on Durant to play superhero ball and save the day. Ironically, when the young Rockets focus less on feeding Durant and more on being aggressive themselves, it allows Durant to be aggressive as well. This makes for a more well-rounded and successful offense for Houston.