Rockets’ offence will get better, vows Durant

There was little reason to expect the Houston Rockets’ off-season addition of Kevin Durant to their lineup would yield a seamless transition, even given Durant’s reputation as one of the premier scorers in National Basketball Association (NBA) history and the Rockets’ standing as one of the top teams in the Western Conference.

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Relatedly, after committing 22 turnovers in a season-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct 21, the Rockets shot only 38.6 per cent in their 115-III setback to the Detroit Pistons in their home opener on Oct 24.

With the Brooklyn Nets scheduled to visit Houston on Oct 27 (Oct 28 morning, Singapore time), the Rockets understand that they remain a work in progress despite lofty preseason expectations.

Houston have had trouble unleashing an efficient offensive attack. Their “skyline” starting unit, the tallest since the NBA began tracking starting lineups more than 50 years ago, have struggled to generate the spacing needed to take full advantage of Durant’s myriad skills.

Durant scored a game-high 37 points against the Pistons, but the Rockets opened the second half with the shorter Josh Okogie (1.93m) on the court and Amen Thompson coming off the bench.