Rockets have a secret weapon that could be their path to championship contention

As the Houston Rockets have played through their first 11 games of the season, they have rather quickly proved many of their critics wrong, establishing themselves concretely as one of the most dynamic offenses in the NBA despite their lack of a bona-fide point guard.

Moreover, one relatively unnoticed stat, the markedly slower pace that the team has taken on this season, could be a major indication of their ability to stay comfortable in their new offensive outlook.

At the start of play on Friday night, the Rockets were 28th in the league in pace, averaging just 98.69 possessions per 48 minutes on the court. In the modern NBA, where so much emphasis is placed on winning the possession battle, this may seem like a trend to be avoided. Yet, it could, in fact, be the path that leads them into genuine championship contention when the playoffs inevitably roll around.

The Rockets are looking more comfortable on offense than they have in a long time, and the stats back it up

Last season, as the Rockets soared to the second seed in the Western Conference, it was clear to almost everyone that they had major flaws that still needed to be addressed on the offensive end of the floor.

They were often liable to get sped up even with Fred VanVleet as the primary ball-handler, as evidenced by their 1.68 assist-to-turnover ratio (good for 24th in the NBA). They were in the bottom 10 in the league in both true shooting and efficient field goal percentage, and they lacked a go-to scorer in the clutch moments of games.

With the addition of Kevin Durant, all that has changed radically this season. Houston, as it stands, are first in the NBA in offensive rating, first in 3-point percentage and first in offensive rebounding percentage.

Yet, in a league in which possessions are always at a premium, the Rockets are actually averaging less possessions per game than they were last season. With the league as a whole moving faster and pushing the envelope both in transition and in getting into their half-court actions with blazing speed, Houston is showing a growing comfort in their offensive identity.

This patience and poise on offense will pay off in the playoffs

In many ways, the playoffs present a whole different game from the regular season, and the ability to create advantages and mismatches through strategic coaching is what ultimately allows teams to succeed or fail in their most crucial moments of the season.

In the playoffs, teams also play considerably slower than they do during the regular season, attempting to account for the increasingly intense atmosphere with a reliance upon their half-court offense.

With Durant and Sengun on the roster, the Rockets certainly have players that can make their shots, and, when they can't, the team also has the capability to dominate the offensive glass.

Yet, what might be their biggest advantage this season comes not only from their stars' presences but also the growth of players like Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard and Jabari Smith Jr.

Almost everyone looks more comfortable in their offensive roles, and, the further they can remove themselves from the hectic style they adopted last season, the more poised they will be to make a run at a championship.

Therefore, in this case, slower could in fact equal better for the Rockets.