Rockets are taking the defensive steps they need to become a genuine contender

As the Houston Rockets have started the season with a 5-2 record, having soared offensively since their first two losses against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Detroit Pistons, they have become one of the most surprising performers in the league on that end of the floor, leading the NBA in offensive rating through their first six games.

Yet, this iteration of the team has also started to come into its own defensively, and, if this trend holds, people could consider the Rockets to be a true championship contender sooner rather than later.

Heading into their Wednesday night matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies (which they won 124-109), the team was seventh in the league in defensive rating, meaning they are approaching the fifth-place performance they put up a season ago. If this team can truly be an elite defensive team while Kevin Durant revolutionizes their offense, the league should be frightened already.

The Rockets have rebounded defensively from their rough start, and the league should be scared

Last season, as Houston soared to the second seed in the Western Conference, they did so as a result of their emerging defensive identity, buoyed by the intense energy of players like Amen Thompson and Dillon Brooks.

Yet, the team was lacking the offensive punch it needed to get over the hump, and, in adding Durant through a trade with the Phoenix Suns this offseason, they hoped to give the team the scorer it needed to become a true championship contender.

So far, it has played out that way. Through their first seven games, the Rockets are first in offensive rating, first in offensive rebounding percentage and first in 3-point percentage across the entire NBA.

Therefore, it was their defense that lagged behind at the start of the season, as they allowed teams like the Pistons and the Toronto Raptors to beat them in ways that last year's team would never have.

Yet, over their past couple of games, they have allowed just 101 points to the Boston Celtics and 102 points to the Dallas Mavericks, and, with their romp of the Memphis Grizzlies, the team has shown that this type of play is here to stay.

It is quite possible, therefore, that the Rockets could be a top-five team both offensively and defensively this season, and, despite the justifiable concerns surrounding Fred VanVleet's absence, that is a genuine championship contender no matter how you spin it.