Rockets surprisingly made last year's most underrated trade deadline acquisition

The Houston Rockets like to bully their opponents.

Typically, they have a size advantage in any NBA game. It's ironic. The last time the Rockets were in the playoffs, they were defined by size in the opposite direction. The micro-ball Rockets are perhaps the most infamous failed experiment in franchise history.

This team iteration does not feature a P.J. Tucker at the 5. The closest comparison would be Jabari Smith Jr., and he's 6'11". The Rockets also like to play twin tower lineups.

That wouldn't be possible without Steven Adams.

Rockets relying on Adams in the playoffs

Adams is known for his rebounding above all else. He's delivering on that front. Across two games with the Warriors, Adams is averaging 15.0 rebounds per 75 possessions.

His Box Plus/Minus (BPM) of 0.3 is mediocre, but it doesn't tell the whole story. A look at CleaningTheGlass tells us that Adams is involved in some wildly successful lineups.

When he's on the floor with Sengun, Smith Jr., Tari Eason, and Fred VanVleet, the Rockets are +48.6 across 9 possessions. Replace Sengun with Amen Thompson, and they're a whopping +120.0 across 5 possessions.

Every Adams-driven lineup hasn't been successful. Insert Sengun back into the lineup and replace VanVleet with Eason, and Houston is -80.0 in 5 possessions. More broadly, astute readers will complain about these sample sizes. The plus/minus numbers are exaggerated because they're only coming in limited minutes.

Does it mean anything?

Rockets should continue to use Adams

It means this much:

Adams has been useful for the Rockets in this series.

He's playing 18.0 minutes per game. That suggests a level of trust from Ime Udoka. Adams has established himself as Houston's primary backup 5, and now that Udoka is willing to play him alongside Sengun, his role is vital.

The Rockets acquired him for four second-round picks. That's a reasonable cost for a big who's seeing 18 minutes of action per game in the playoffs. It's also worth noting that the Rockets likely didn't expect to use Adams alongside Sengun.

On paper, there are reasons why that shouldn't work. Neither Adams nor Sengun can shoot threes consistently, and neither is exceedingly mobile.

It works anyway. Adams and Sengun create absurd space with their screening and dominate opponents on the glass. They also force opponents into a dilemma. Adams will physically overwhelm any 4 on the glass, but smaller players will always struggle to defend Sengun.

Either way, opponents end up getting bullied.