Durant joins = The Rockets will be allowed to go to the Western Conference Finals? If the three major flaws are not resolved, will the luxury lineup become a bubble?

The NBA regular season has not started yet, but the large arms race has ended. The Rockets undoubtedly have a high-quality offseason operation in the offseason. After using Finney Smith + Kevin Durant to replace Jaylen Green + Dillon Brooks, the Rockets' overall lineup has made a qualitative leap.

The Houston Rockets handed out a good report card of 52 wins and 30 losses last season, ranking second in the Western Conference. Although they lost the series, they also saw the potential of the players. Many young players have been certified in the intensity of the playoffs.

So, for the new season, the Rockets made a deal to strengthen loopholes and successfully upgraded their lineup to the highest level in the Western Conference.

Many people began to be blindly optimistic, believing that the Rockets have become a team in the Western Conference that can compete with the Nuggets and the defending champion Thunder, and they even have a chance to rush out of the Western Conference with a clear victory. So, is that true?

Or, is there really no obstacles on the Rockets' road to winning the championship?

Obviously, it is not. In fact, the Rockets' new lineup can already ensure their lower limit, but if you want to aim for the championship, you still need to settle down to solve the problem of the new lineup.

Let's take a look at the current intensity analysis of the Rockets lineup.

First of all, advantages: The Rockets have indeed reached the championship level, and Shin Kyung + Durant has become the basic market.

After the offseason, the Rockets' starting lineup has become "Van Vleet + Amen + Durant + Xiao Jia + Shen Jing". There is no doubt that in terms of the core of the forward line, Durant's replacement for Green is a huge upgrade.

Last season, Durant averaged 26.6 points, 6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, shooting 52.7% from the field, 43% from three-point shooting percentage and 84% from free throw percentage.

Durant was the first in the league in singles efficiency last season, with an effective shooting percentage of 57.5%, and an average singles score of 1.16 points per round.

Uduka's skills and tactics last season were the internal and external combination of Jaylen Green and Shin Jing. Shin Jing can be said to have completed his own tasks perfectly, but Jaylen Green was a little useless.

Shin Kyung has grown into an All-Star player in the regular season. He averaged 21+12+5 games in the playoffs and developed production with 18.7 attempts, making people realize that he is a player who can play in the playoffs.

Now that Durant has arrived, Uduka's tactical board will undoubtedly add more singles, and will do better than Jaylen Green when he needs to score points.

With these two people as the base, the Rockets' lower limit as the championship team can already be guaranteed.

Secondly, the problem: The Rockets' space still needs to be developed to a certain extent.

Even though Durant is a well-known offensive expert in the league, it does not mean that he can score the ball under any targeted defense, especially after he returned from a serious Achilles tendon injury, his playing style is more inclined toward middle distance.

在篮网时期，凯尔特人就曾被绿军的包夹折磨的欲仙欲死，所以，火箭也需要明确，不能让杜兰特陷入这种尴尬局面。

In order to avoid Durant being hit by high-intensity double-teams, the Rockets must ensure that the space is enough to be widened, so the three-point shooting percentage becomes a point that must be discussed.

The Rockets' three-pointers were actually not good, especially in the playoffs, Van Vleet was a "drawer"; Amen's three-pointers were also very basic; Shin Kyung directly lacked three-pointers, and only Xiao Jia and Finney Smith's seemingly qualified three-pointer efficiency can solve their worries.

However, the positions of these two people are slightly overlapping, which shows a lot of things.

Therefore, the Rockets need to make adjustments or training.

First, can Shepard play and replace VanVleet to start, or as the sixth person to strengthen firepower.

First, let Shepard strengthen his defensive practice and see if he can play. Whether it is a starting substitute for Van Vleet or a substitute to strengthen his firepower, it is a very good choice.

ESPN wrote an article to list Shepard as the most noteworthy sophomore rookie next season, and wrote: "Theoretically, Shepard joins the Houston Rockets at the right time. He has the opportunity to become a key factor in the team's championship process."

25 regular season, he played in 52 games, averaging 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, shooting percentage of 35.1%, and 33.8% of three-pointers.

Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan publicly expressed his confidence in young defender Shepard's three-point shooting ability, and even predicted that his three-point shooting percentage in the new season will increase to 40% or higher, which is enough to show that Shepard is about to usher in a rhythm of progress.

Considering VanVleet's 20.7% three-point shooting percentage in the playoffs, it is still worth looking forward to Shepard's.

However, if Shepard wants to make progress faster, then practicing defense well becomes the team's first line of defense and is his essential skill.

Second, can Amen's shooting improve?

Amen is a player that the Rockets attaches great importance to in the playoffs.

Amen's performance as a core defensive player last season suppressed his opponent's shooting percentage to 40.4%, ranking first in the league. He destroyed his opponent's offense many times at critical moments in the playoffs. He is already enough to be called the top defender in the league.

Especially when facing those top superstars, Amen has excellent defensive efficiency, and his opponent's shooting percentage plummeted to 25% against Doncic.

Moreover, Amen also has a small offensive method, which is not as effective as the mid-range and the basket attacking efficiency. Therefore, Amen is a player that the Rockets will not give up, so the problem is here.

If the Rockets need to play Amen for most of the time in the playoffs, does Amen's three-point shooting need to be strengthened.

Obviously needed, Amen's three-point efficiency was once lower than 30%, but fortunately, he was practicing to improve his shooting skills during the offseason and tried to increase his three-point shooting percentage to 35%.

Once Amen's shooting training is successful, then Amen, who can lock the opponent's core in the new season, can hit the box with the ball, and can shoot three-pointers from the outside, will become the most annoying player for all team stars.

If Amen can make three-pointers, then it will not only help the team open up space, but also personally may enter the All-Star lineup, and the Rockets' future will be brighter.

Third, Shin Kyung's three-point shooting efficiency is average.

If Shin Kyung's three-point shooting percentage is 23.3%, it is an improvement over the previous seasons, but it is still at a low level. In February 25, his three-point shooting percentage was 33.33%, but his overall score accounted for only 10%.

In other words, Shen Jing’s three-point method was not practical.

Although Shin Kyung does not have three-pointers, he is already a star center, but if he has three-pointers, his strategic value will be even better.

Therefore, Shen Jing will not give up training in three-point shooting every year during the offseason.

If Shin Kyung's three-pointers can make achievements in the new season, even if it only reaches 30%, then the Rockets' tactical board will also add several tactics, and Durant can also fight harder at critical moments.

Finally, disadvantages: Smith is not as strategic as Dillon, and the firepower on the bench is also a problem.

Objectively speaking, with the growth of Amen and Xiao Jia, this team gradually no longer needs the "evil guy" of Dillon, and the Rockets also added the 3D player Finney Smith.

But to be honest, Dillon's technical and tactical abilities are not comparable to Finney Smith.

Dillon is a shooter who can develop offensive opportunities. He can get mid-range back and grab rebounds. Finney Smith can also shoot three-pointers and rebounds. In other words, he can also complete the task of defending and opening up space.

But in terms of development offense, he is obviously inferior to Dillon.

For a team like the Rockets who are extremely capable of rebounding but very "poor", developing offensive capabilities is still worth cherishing, especially the bench is very necessary. The main substitutes on the Rockets' bench are Adams, Ethan, Capela, and Aaron Holiday, Green, Tate and Okogie.

And not many of these people can expect to produce the sixth man's firepower. Apart from Ethan, only Shepard is left.

24-year-old Ethan played 57 games last season, averaging 25 minutes per game to contribute 12 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks, shooting percentage of 48.7% and three-point shooting percentage of 34.2%. Although

is already very outstanding, if he wants to lead the second team, his scoring needs to be improved, so this is why the Rockets have always attached great importance to Shepard's training.

For the Rockets, how to deal with the bench is a question worth thinking about.

Summary: The Rockets' terrifying defense will become their weapon to "siege the city and get out" in the playoffs.

The Rockets' team building idea is very clear. They are very confident in the defensive system built by Uduka, so the management perfectly upgraded Jaylen Green's point.

And the Rockets still maintain strong defensive attributes.

First of all, the hand-to-hand tactics included in the overall defense. The Rockets' defense explains very clearly between changing defense and replenishing defense. It is not just pursuing data on breaking the hat, but trying to perform their own duties.

For example, Shen Jing guards the inside, Xiao Jia and Amen swept the defense on the outside, and Van Vleet is the first line of defense. With such a combination of punches, it is undoubtedly difficult for the opponent to score.

What makes the opponent even more uncomfortable is that the Rockets give a high intensity of confrontation in each position, which means that the opponent's offensive arrows will be easily consumed.

Secondly, the exaggerated frontcourt rebounds allowed the Rockets to lead the second place far.

How strong are the Rockets' frontcourt rebounding ability?

They have widened the gap in grade compared to the second place. In fact, the Rockets' frontcourt rebounding ability is not based on individuals, but on the fight between the whole group.

Adams, Shinkyung, Amen and Ethan, these people can allow the Rockets to maintain an impact on the frontcourt rebounds throughout the 48 minutes.

The new season's signings of Finney Smith and Capela have made the Rockets' frontcourt rebounding ability reach the extreme. Whether they start or substitute, as long as they compete for rebounds, their ability to compete will definitely be at the monster level.

As long as the Rockets can maintain excellent defense and continue to develop offense, they will surely open up the situation.

We look forward to the Rockets' game.