Ime Udoka proves controversial Rockets' lineup still has its place

The Houston Rockets started 2025-26 by starting Alperen Sengun alongside Steven Adams. They quickly changed the starting lineup, but against the Cavaliers, they went back to the well - and it worked.

It seems Ime Udoka has a handle on how to use this lineup. It's situational. Starting these two conventional big men isn't going to yield enough benefits against some teams:

But against the Cavs, it was a perfect decision.

The Rockets needed size to beat the Cavaliers

There's been some debate on social media between these two fan bases. When the Rockets are credited with reinvigorating double big lineups, Cavaliers fans take notice:

"We've been doing that for years!"

Well, not really. Yes, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have a lot of combined size and length. Mobley is not a "big" in the same sense that the other three players in this group are. His ability to guard the perimeter at 7'0" is unique, but he's not the rebounder that Allen, Sengun, or Adams is.

That's been the hallmark of the Rockets' double big man lineup - a massive rebounding advantage. Per CleaningTheGlass, the Rockets have a 53.5% Offensive Rebounding % when Adams and Sengun start alongside Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson.

The Rockets' offensive rebounding has been well-documented. They're the best in the league, but 53.5% is patently absurd. It makes one wonder why they don't play this lineup more often.

Doesn't it?

Rockets have the versatility to play multiple lineups

That would be an overstatement.

Let's go back to CleaningTheGlass. That same lineup is +5.6 over 120 possessions, which lands in the 59th percentile. That's fine, but it doesn't reflect that the offensive rebounding is resulting in a dominant overall advantage.

Adams and Sengun have always made for an odd pair. With Sengun shooting 44.7% from deep this year, spacing is less of a concern, but he is still a low-volume three-point shooter. Meanwhile, Adams is a non-shooter.

Still, it's the combined mobility between them that's problematic. Sengun is agile for a 5, but not at the wing-dominant 4 position. That's why the Rockets typically run a zone defense when this duo shares the floor.

So, it's a lineup to run when size is needed. Ultimately, the group that's on the floor when the game begins is inconsequential. As long as Ime Udoka knows when to deploy this lineup and when to hold it back, the Rockets are making the right play.

It looks like that's exactly where we're at.