There is a difference! Durant is the core of the team, but not the core of the tacticality?

After trading Whitmore, many Rockets fans are worried that the team's backcourt depth will not be enough, which will affect the performance of the new season. I think these Rockets fans' concerns are redundant. According to Uduka's tactical philosophy, the Rockets will focus on a large-size lineup in the new season, with full combat, height, and defense, and at the same time, the offensive firepower is sufficient to ensure. Looking back at the first round of the Rockets and Warriors this year, we know that when the team put up the double tower lineup of Shin Kyung and Adams, the effect was very good. The Rockets' rebound advantage was very obvious. In the end, they lost seven games. The main reason was that Jaylen Green could not support the firepower point of 21 points per game in the regular season, but now he has upgraded to Durant, one of the purest scorers in history.

Yes, Durant is Green's upgrade, not to play the fourth position. When Adu was in the Supersonics season, he played as a shooting guard. In the middle of his career, he began to transform into the fourth position, which also increased the risk of injury. At this stage, Adu plays the second position on the offensive end, and the defensive end will face the forward line, which is the best arrangement for him. So will Durant become the core player of the Rockets in the new season? He is certainly one of the core players, but I don't think he is the core of tactics. The Rockets' tactical core is still the pick-and-roll starting with No. 15 position, that is, Van Vleet and Shin Kyung pick-and-roll as tactics, Amen cuts aloft, and others are running without the ball and waiting for an opportunity to shoot and attack the basket. The roles played by Durant are one of the off-ball players and the other are the ending points. When no one scores or can't open the situation, hand the ball to Adu to solve it, so Adu is the core player, but not the tactical core. On the defensive end, the Rockets can play a double tower in Shinkyung, Adams and Capela, or they can play a five-forward lineup, namely Durant, Amen, Ethan, Jabary Smith and Finney Smith. If it is a team with big centers like the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Clippers, 76ers, and Mavericks, the strength on the double towers is strong. If you are against fast teams such as the Thunder, Celtics, Pacers, and Warriors, the five-front lineup can show offensive and defensive power. Since the Rockets use Uduka as the head coach, they will definitely implement the concept of "one big to the end", and the large size also proves the advantages they have in the small ball era.

Finally, who said that Rocket No. 1 has no depth? Although VanVleet is not a superstar, he can at least control the ball, hit three-pointers in the playoffs, and work diligently on the defensive end. Judging from the price of the new sign, he is a competent starting point guard. On the bench, shepherd and Holiday from last year were also sitting. Shepard's rookie didn't get much playing time in his first year, and the Rockets always had expectations for him and did not put him in any trade discussions. Holiday is more than enough to use it as the third defender.

Compared with last season, the Rockets' offense has been upgraded from Green to Durant, and their defense has been upgraded to the elite level based on previous outstanding results. I think they can maintain at least the top two in the West in the regular season, with the lower limit of the playoffs being the district semifinals and the upper limit being the championship. Of course, the premise of everything is to stay healthy, so Durant's regular season playing time will be controlled at about 30 minutes, and even like Adams this year, selectively resting back-to-back games.