The Rockets lineup is almost perfect in the new season!

Death comes and reshapes the offensive and defensive pattern. The Rockets are all soldiers and aim at the peak.

When Kevin Durant's No. 35 jersey rose in the Toyota Center and Capela returns to Houston after five years, the Houston Rockets completed a gorgeous turn from "Youth Guards" to "a champion-level strong team". Through the offseason shocking trade, the Rockets have built a super lineup with balanced offense and defense and deep terrifying offense and terrifying depth. In the new season, they are undoubtedly the most powerful contenders for the championship.

Defensive system: The defensive transformation from individual strangling to three-dimensional barrier

Rockets begins with the perfect combination of defensive hard power and systematic cooperation in each position. The backcourt core Van Vleet uses experience to connect the defense line and rotate with Amen Thompson's double defender. He can not only bite the opponent's ball holder with speed, but also use the 1.93-meter Okogi (2.13-meter wingspan) to provide bulletproof resistance, so that the opponent's pick-and-roll tactics have nowhere to hide. On the front line, Durant's joining seems to be on the offensive side, but his defensive contribution of 1.1 blocks per game in his career, coupled with Finney Smith's "death entanglement" - this 3D strongman defended seven superstars such as Mitchell and Tatum alone last season, allowing his opponent to make only 3 of 21 shots (14.3% shooting percentage), completely locking the outside firepower. In the inside, the "two tower meat grinder" composed of Shin Kyung and Capela can not only use Shin Kyung's supportive ability to revitalize the offense, but also use Capela's 2.08-meter height and 11.9 rebounds per game to build a barrier to the penalty area.

More importantly, Uduka's defensive philosophy has penetrated into the bone marrow. The Rockets' defensive efficiency has risen to 4th in the league last season. Now, with the support of Durant's indiscriminate defense replacement, Okogi's leadership oppression, and Ethan's assisted defense replacement, this "mad dog" defensive system has become more perfect. Finney Smith is always the first player to return to defense when his opponent tries to break the deadlock with a fast break; when his opponent hits the basket, Capela and Shin Kyung can contribute 6.8 blocks per game. This three-dimensional defensive network from No. 1 to No. 5 makes the Rockets the most intimidating defensive machine in the league.

Offensive end: The joining of the Death Scythe and Space Revolution

Durant completely activates the Rockets' offensive nerves. As a historical scorer, he averaged 29.1 points per game last season and his 51.7% fallback jump shot shooting percentage gives the Rockets a "serious move" at critical moments. More importantly, Durant's off-ball move is perfectly complementary with Shin Kyung's high-position support - when Shin Kyung held the ball at the top of the arc, Durant bounced to the three-point line (the three-point shooting percentage of the top of the arc last season was 40.8%), this "Spanish pick-and-roll" variant tactic will become a powerful tool for the Rockets to break the joint defense.

Fenney Smith's joining completely solved the Rockets' space problem. The top 3D forward shot up to 43.5% from three-pointers last season and reached 42.9% from the bottom corner. The forward turret formed by him and Durant made the opponent's joint defense useless. When Amen Thompson hit the basket with the ball to attract double teams, Finney Smith and Van Vleet (37.6% of career three-point shooting percentage) were ready to hit the deadly attack at any time. This "one-star" offensive mode allows the Rockets to jump from the 12th in the league to the top five.

Lineup Depth: The 14-man rotation is flawless, and the Rockets' lineup depth in the new season is a luxury. In the regular rotation of 14 players, each position has at least two All-Star players:

Backcourt: Van Vleet (averages 22.3 points per game) and Amen Thompson (averages 15.7 points and 6.9 assists per game), Okogie provides defensive hardness, and Aaron Holiday is responsible for the connection section organization.

Frontline: Durant (historical scorer) partnered with Finney Smith (top 3D), Ethan (9.3 points per game + 2.1 steals per game), Tate (11.2 points per game) provide vitality, and Jeff Green (playoff experience) leads the team.

Inside: Shin Kyung (20.9 points and 11.9 rebounds) and Capela (9 points and 8.5 rebounds) form a double tower, and Adams (7.1 rebounds per game) provides substitute depth.

This lineup configuration gives Uduka infinite possibility of changing the lineup: facing the fast-paced Thunder, he can send out the "three small lineups" of Durant, Finney Smith, and Amen Thompson; facing the Nuggets' inside group, the two-tower combination of Shin Kyung + Capela can play steadily again. What's even more terrifying is that on the Rockets' bench are Tate, who averages 11.2 points per game and Shepard, who has a three-point shooting percentage of 40.1%, which are enough to maintain firepower while the main players are resting.

Conclusion: The Red Storm is about to sweep the league

From the "mad dog spirit" on the defensive end to the "death coming" on the offensive end, from the dominance of the main lineup to the depth of the bench, the Rockets' lineup has reached a state of decline. When Durant's sickle slashed the night sky, Capela's rebound trembled the basket, and when Finney Smith's three-pointer hit the net, Houston's Red Storm was destined to write history in the new season. This super team, which is full of soldiers, is launching the most violent attack on the championship with a thunderous momentum!