Luc Mbah a Moute really enjoys playing for the Houston Rockets

Luc Mbah a Moute is really enjoying his time playing for the Houston Rockets so far.

The Houston Rockets were able to retain the majority of their core from last season, but they’ve also managed to add some important new faces.

First and foremost, the Rockets added one of the best floor generals and leaders in the Association in Chris Paul. Houston also added key contributors in P.J. Tucker, Tarik Black and Luc Mbah a Moute.

Mbah a Moute has made a living in the NBA through his defensive prowess. Standing at 6’8″ tall and 230 pounds with a 7’0″ wingspan, he has the size to guard power forwards and the foot speed to keep up with guards.

Mbah a Moute said that playing with guys like P.J. Tucker will make his job a lot easier, via Glynn A. Hill of the Houston Chronicle.

“Just having someone else out there who can guard the other team’s best player. A lot of times we end up being at the three and four—both forward positions—so he can switch onto a small; he can switch onto a big; it just makes our defense so much better.”

The Houston Rockets have already shown that they are an improved defensive team from just a year ago. The Rockets have held all four of their opponents under 100 points and three of their four victories have been by double-digits.

We’ve already seen glimpses of Houston’s “Death Lineup.” Where Mbah a Moute, Tucker and Trevor Ariza make up the Rockets’ front court and some combination of James Harden, Eric Gordon and Chris Paul fill in the back court. This lineup has allowed Houston to switch on defense, which usually takes away the opponents first and second option, forcing them to take contested jump shots late in the shot clock.

Luc Mbah a Moute wants to contribute more offensively

Despite making defense more of a priority for this season, the Rockets are still an offense first team. If Mbah a Moute wants to fill an important role and stay on the floor, he’s going to have to contribute offensively as well, via the Houston Chronicle.

“With the way we play, there’s so much opportunity, especially at the three-point line. Just spacing the floor there’s so many good shooters so you can drop and make plays. The offense here is so fun and everyone gets shots so it’s fun to play.”

Mbah a Moute has improved his shooting in recent years. Despite being a career 32.4 percent 3-point shooter, Mbah a Moute shot 39.1 percent from the 3-point line and 50.5 percent from the field last season. And he’s carried his offensive improvement into the preseason, averaging 9.2 points on 64.7 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Next: Trevor Ariza could have a great year for the Houston Rockets

The most important thing is that Luc is really enjoying his time playing for the Rockets, via the Houston Chronicle.

“I really enjoy myself here. I think it’s a great staff, the atmosphere here is amazing.”

The Houston Rockets are looking like a much improved team. They’ll have a chance to measure their progress on Oct. 17 against the Warriors.