The Rockets won't miss Dillon Brooks as much as you think

In most people's minds, the Houston Rockets traded Jalen Green and the rights to draft Khaman Maluach in exchange for Kevin Durant. It's easy to overlook the inclusion of Dillon Brooks in the deal.

The Rockets likely didn't want to move Brooks, especially. It was more of a necessary evil. The money has to work, and there as no other viable way to match Durant's deal.

Brooks will be remembered fondly in Rockets red. His toughness played a vital role in changing this team's culture. He played particularly well last season:

Still, Rockets fans won't miss him for long.

Rockets don't need Dillon Brooks

Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz disagrees.

"A fifth-place finish in defense may be tough to replicate without Dillon Brooks".

- Greg Swartz, Bleacher Report

Full disclosure: This is a nitpick. The quote comes from a piece in which Swartz gives the Rockets an A for their offseason. He's not being egregiously critical.

That said, I (softly) disagree. The Rockets did lose Brooks this summer, but Durant isn't the only player they brought in his stead. The Rockets acquired Dorian Finney-Smith as well:

He'll be critical to replicating their defensive success.

Rockets have one of the league's best defensive rosters

Finney-Smith and Brooks are not the same kinds of defenders.

Brooks is stronger at the point of attack. He's the guy you unleash on the opposing team's leading scorer. His objective is to annoy star players, and he does it exceedingly well.

Finney-Smith is more of a system guy. He can guard bigger players, making him more versatile than Brooks. He's not quite as quick-footed, but his superior wingspan makes him more of a weakside rim protector.

So, it's going to look different. The Rockets see intent on deploying Finney-Smith at the 2. He'll have a size advantage on nearly everyone there, but he won't be the quickest guard in the league.

Expect the Rockets to use a zone defense even more than they did in 2024-25. They'll switch as often as possible. Ime Udoka is going to use strategies that maximize the Rockets' immense size while minimizing the corresponding lack of quickness.

On that note - we're talking about Ime Udoka here. He's not going to let the Rockets walk away from the season with less than a top-5 defense. A roster featuring Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr., and Fred VanVleet shouldn't slip out of the top-5 by virtue of losing Brooks and adding Finney-Smith.

Even if Brooks can't be overlooked.