Who Led the Houston Rockets in Isolation Scoring this Season?

The Houston Rockets suffered through their worst three-year stretch in franchise history after they traded away the franchise's second-best player, James Harden. When the Rockets entered phase two of the rebuild, they wanted to change the perception of the team by becoming one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.

The Rockets did just that as they transformed from a struggling lottery team to a top-five defensive team that would go on to lead the NBA in rebounding. Like the saying goes, defense does win championships, but to get to a championship, you need a good offense.

Even though the Rockets struggled at times on the offensive end, they did improve on that side of the court this season. The Rockets' two best players this season, Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, both had career seasons. Alperen Sengun, in particular, had a great season as he made his first All-Star game, and a big reason for that was his play on the offensive end, especially in isolation.

The Rockets weren't a heavy isolation team, but when they did operate in isolation, a few players stood out for them this season. When it came to points per possession, it was a surprising person at the top of the list. Fred VanVleet was coming off his first season with the Rockets, where he played a big part in the Rockets ' league-best 19-game improvement.

In his second season, VanVleet wanted to take a step back in offense and not be as ball-dominant. Even though VanVleet's production and shooting dropped in his second season, VanVleet still led the Rockets in points per possession when it came to isolation. VanVleet averages a team-best 0.95 per possession.

The player who shot the best percentage in isolation for the Rockets is less of a surprise. Amen Thompson had a breakout season in his second season as he became one of the Rockets' most valuable players. Thompson led the Rockets in field goal percentage when in isolation at 48.3%.

Sengun led the Rockets in isolation attempts per game at 14.1 as he used his quickness to try and take advantage of the bigger centers guarding him out on the perimeter. The Rockets as a team were 11th in isolation attempts per game and 12th in points per game.

For the Rockets to take the next step they will need to become a better isolation team especially in the playoffs when defensive pressure is turned up and individual offense is a necessity.