Rockets need to make a bold reversal in order to become true contenders

As the Houston Rockets attempt to mount a deep playoff run this season in the absence of starting point guard Fred VanVleet, they will certainly need their acquisition of Kevin Durant to pay off, revitalizing their offense and elevating the team into the upper echelon of scoring teams in the NBA.

However, as the Rockets have rounded out with a 2-2 record, one surprising deficiency, their intensity and effectiveness on defense, has proved to be the facet of their game that needs to be turned around, and the team must do so quickly if they hope to put together a run this season.

While Durant certainly represents a major boon on the offensive end, this team's identity, under head coach Ime Udoka, is built on a defense-first approach, and, as long as players like Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. are still on the roster, this must continue to be one of their greatest strengths.

If it's not, this team does not stand a chance in a loaded Western Conference.

The Rockets' defense has not looked great so far this season

Although Houston lost their first two games, they have largely looked competent offensively through this opening stretch of the season, and, following 137 and 139-point performances against the Brooklyn Nets and the Toronto Raptors respectively, the team seems to be fully on track scoring-wise despite some lingering warts.

However, according to the metrics (and the eye test), their defense has lagged behind. Last season, the Rockets had the fifth-best defensive rating in the league, utilizing a combination of their versatility on the perimeter and their infamous center rotation to suffocate teams on a nightly basis.

This season, however, they have allowed an average of 117.5 points per game and are currently 20th in defensive rating: a drastic change from a season ago.

While this is, in part, a product of the change that the lineup has undergone through the VanVleet injury and the Durant trade, this team is still constructed to be one of the most intense defensive squads in the league.

Understandably, players such as Thompson, Smith, Sengun and even Tari Eason have been asked to take on larger offensive roles this year, and, as a result, their defensive impact has decreased. This is part of the natural side effect of dramatically reconstructing a roster in the way that Houston did this offseason.

Nevertheless, the team must figure out how to maintain its hard-nosed identity this season in order to become truly dangerous. No matter what level the offense reaches, they are not blasting their way to the top with the way the roster is constructed, and they must instead spread their eggs between both baskets.

Ultimately, it is the vision that the organization has had for this team, and it is time for them to finally look like a capable squad on both ends of the floor. If this means finding a way to reduce Thompson or Smith's offensive role, so be it, but it must be done.