The Rockets already have the kind of defensive pieces that can make life miserable for opposing offenses. What they still don’t have, at least not yet, is the kind of rim protection that turns a very good defense into a truly suffocating one. And that burden lands squarely on Alperen Sengun.
Houston finished last season with the NBA’s sixth-best defensive rating, a number that speaks well of the group overall. The wings did plenty of the heavy lifting, with Amen Thompson and Tari Eason standing out as disruptive forces. But when teams got downhill, the Rockets were far less intimidating than their reputation suggested.
Opponents took about 34.3% of their shots at the rim against Houston, the 13th-highest rate in the league. That’s a meaningful gap from the NBA’s top defenses, including the Thunder and Spurs, who allowed just under 30% of attempts there.
And once shots reached the basket, the Rockets allowed teams to finish at 62.5%, a mark that sat around league average rather than elite territory. The Thunder held opponents to 57.6% at the rim, while the Pistons checked in at 59.3%.
That’s where Sengun comes in. He’s an offensive force, but his defense has become a real talking point, even raising questions about his long-term fit in Houston and whether the Rockets would eventually need a defensive upgrade at center. The team still has time to quiet those doubts, but it needs to see improvement soon.
Steven Adams’ return from injury could help the frontcourt, though he isn’t exactly known for being a high-level shot blocker or vertical deterrent at this stage of his career. So the Rockets still need Sengun to be the starting center who lifts the group, not the one forcing others to cover for him.
To their credit, Houston’s other frontcourt defenders helped patch things together last season. Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson all chipped in around the rim.
But that kind of coverage works best as support, not as the whole plan. If Sengun takes a step forward, those players can be more aggressive in their matchups and conserve more energy for offense.
He has already made some progress as a defender, and the next step is clear: improve his mobility and his ability to contest vertically at the rim. The Rockets are close to being an elite defensive team. Sengun may be the difference between close and complete.
In Other News...
Rockets Have Two Wings Fighting To Prove They Fit Udokas Plan
The Rockets have spent a lot of time sorting through the edges of the roster, and two 6-foot-6 wings are in the middle of that conversation as they try to show they can fit Ime Udokas defensive-minded approach. Julian Phillips arrived in Houston after moving through Chicago and Minnesota, bringing a reputation built more on length, activity and defense than scoring, while Isaiah Crawford is trying to turn the momentum he built in the G League into something more permanent after getting a look with the Rockets last season.
Both players are fighting from a similar place: they have tools that can matter in Udokas system, but they still have to prove they can earn real NBA trust. Phillips has yet to make offense a consistent part of his game, and Crawford has had far more success in the minors than in limited NBA minutes, which leaves Houston with a familiar sort of training-camp question. Which one can turn promise into a role before the roster picture starts to narrow? [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durant Is Already Creating A Real Rockets Tension Point
Kevin Durants arrival in Houston was always going to come with more than shot-making and late-game gravity, and media day offered the first hint of a real roster-management dilemma. The Rockets have every reason to be careful with a player whose regular-season workload has been heavy and whose recent injury history makes every minute matter, especially with the long view in mind. Durant, though, made clear he is not looking to be handled on autopilot.
The tension is easy to see: Houston wants to protect its star and preserve him for the games that will matter most, while Durant wants the freedom to be judged by the flow of the night, not by a preset cap. He is open to stepping aside more if the Rockets are already in control, but the broader question is how the team balances that instinct with the need to keep him fresh without turning every night into a restriction conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Amen Thompson Faces Bigger Rockets Expectations After One Painful Snub
Amen Thompson arrived at Rockets media day with the weight of a new five-year, $208 million extension already on his shoulders, and he handled it the way Houston has come to expect from the young wing. He spoke about the deal, about his twin brother Ausar landing a similar extension in Detroit, and about the reality that big money usually comes with bigger expectations. Thompson also made it clear the contract is not the end point, just the next step in a career that now has championship language attached to it for the 2026-27 season.
The more revealing part was how personal the moment felt for him, because the disappointment of missing out on All-Defensive recognition still lingers as motivation. Thompson acknowledged the frustration of watching Ausar pile up the honors while he was left off, and he framed that snub as fuel rather than baggage. For a Rockets team banking on his two-way rise, that edge matters almost as much as the dollars, and it hints at a player who is already measuring himself against a higher standard. [Read more 🡒]