KD is right about surprising offensive rebounding weakness of Rockets

Kevin Durant fired off some controversial opinions during his media day presser, but one undeniable fact he brought up was the Rockets' poor efficiency on putback attempts. When addressing the team's strengths and weaknesses, Durant remarked:

"Offensive rebounding is what we do well but we didn't convert well after we got an offensive rebound."

That assessment might come as a shock to Rockets fans who are used to hearing about their team's domination on the glass. But the numbers back up Durant's claim: Houston had the 5th most second-chance points last season in the NBA but the second-worst efficiency on second-chance attempts.

The Rockets have an obvious low-hanging fruit to grab

It shouldn't be too hard for the Rockets to get more efficient with their putbacks, especially with the entire team benefitting from Steven Adams' presence on the glass. Considering the elite finishers and general inside presence that the Rockets have, converting at the rim should be a strong point for them. Even when considering that Houston's high volume of putback attempts might be dragging the conversion percentage down, their efficiency should still be better than 29th in the NBA.

For a team that gets its hands on so many of its own missed shots, a better conversion rate could make a big difference over a long season. Whether it's more focus on finishes at the rim or patience to kick out the ball after an offensive rebound, the Rockets need to embrace ways to get more efficient in this scenario. They have an upper hand when it comes to grabbing more offensive rebounds, but they're giving back some of that advantage if they can't actually convert.

Not only did the Rockets do a poor job of scoring directly on putbacks, but they also did a poor job of drawing fouls on their attempts. Shots right at the rim are often a way to earn free throws, but the Rockets had the 6th-lowest frequency of getting fouled after an offensive rebound. If they're not scoring well or getting fouled, they're just wasting a lot of putback opportunities.

Houston can reach another level with this simple fix

With their new and renewed veteran leadership this season, maybe the Rockets can clean up this surprisingly weak efficiency. If they do, their offense can get a major boost considering how often they are rebounding their own misses. With Adams on the court, Houston has rebounded over 40% of their own misses in the last two seasons.

During the regular season, the Rockets can see an uptick in offensive rating simply from converting better on putbacks, even without any other changes. But in the playoffs, that advantage can become even more pronounced if opposing teams are unable to contain them on the glass. Points are even harder to come by in the postseason; the Rockets can't be wasting putback opportunities with subpar finishing there.

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