4 consecutive victories come to an end, the Rockets have upgraded 4 killer moves! Udoka talks about starter Durant’s secrets of winning the championship

The preseason ended with 4 consecutive victories, and the Rockets successfully upgraded 4 killer moves! Uduka talks about starting arrangements, and new core Durant reveals the secret to winning the championship.

The Rockets' 4-game winning streak ends

With Durant, Shen Jing, Amen and other core players resting extensively, the Rockets, led by Shepard's all-around data of 29 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks, defeated the Hawks and won 4 consecutive games to complete the preseason finale.

The Rockets will then have a 4-day break, and then officially usher in the opening game of the new regular season against the defending champion Thunder on the 22nd.

During the preseason, the Rockets not only won 4 consecutive victories to remain undefeated, but also showed off 4 comprehensively upgraded championship moves.

One killer move: Offensive improvement

The Rockets scored 122, 140, 130, and 133 points respectively in the four preseason games, averaging 131.3 points per game, in sharp contrast to last season.

Last season, the Rockets were a solid defensive team. On the offensive end, they relied heavily on quick transitions and secondary fights brought about by tough defense, and lacked stable offensive scoring methods.

So far in the preseason, the Rockets have been firing on all cylinders on the offensive end, overcoming last season's offensive constipation, which coincides with Durant's publicly revealed secret to winning the championship.

While participating in the second season of "Starting 5", when Durant was asked about the key points of the championship, he publicly stated that it was to make the ball.

Durant said frankly in the show that if you want to win the championship, you must score. Defense is important, but when you face high-level competition and the top opponents, you simply cannot win by relying on defense alone.

If you want to win the championship, you must make the ball. This is why you play so hard. If you want to win, you must make the ball.

Top 2: Exaggerated lineup depth

The Rockets' original depth was already exaggerated enough. As a result, Stone made a killing in the offseason. Not only did he introduce Durant at a low price, but he also successively acquired several new players such as Finney Smith, Capela, and Okogie.

In the case of Van Jordan's serious injury, the Rockets still have 5-6 players in the current lineup who are capable of scoring 20+ points in a single game. This is also an important reason why the Rockets are able to soar in points per game in the preseason.

The fourth game against the Hawks is the best example. In the absence of all core players, Sheppard, Okogie and Crawford scored 20+ points, and four others scored in double figures.

Among them, Okogie, Jeff Green, and Holiday are all fringe rotation players with minimum salaries. Players such as Crawford, JD Davison, and Harris are even more leftovers with two-way training camp contracts.

The existence of these players who are trying to compete for rotation seats and formal contract positions has further enhanced the advantage of the Rockets, which has an exaggerated lineup depth, and also brought healthy competition within the team.

Faced with this situation, Uduka also publicly stated after the preseason that he had not yet determined his starting candidate.

A different lineup may be used in each game at the beginning of the regular season, at least until all members are healthy again, which will inevitably increase the intensity of competition within the Rockets.

Killing move three: Comprehensive transformation of young players

The reason why Uduka is so entangled is that on the one hand, core players such as Fan Jordan and Finney Smith are injured, and on the other hand, young players such as Shepard, Ethan, Xiaojia, Amen and Shen Jing are rapidly transforming and growing.

Especially Amen and Shen Jing, the former’s shooting has improved significantly, and the latter’s defensive hardness and organizational ability have improved significantly.

Sheppard also broke out in the final game of the preseason and proved himself with an all-around performance.

Killing move four: Durant

The ability to solve key balls has always been a shortcoming of this young Rockets team, and at this point, Durant is almost a perfect fit for the Rockets.

As Wall and famous reporter Haynes said on the show, Durant proved in the preseason that he is still Durant, as long as he is willing to average 28 points or even 30 points per game in the new season.