Steven Adams is quietly becoming the Rockets most vital player (and it's not close)

The Houston Rockets earned a major bounce-back win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, rebounding from their puzzling loss to the Utah Jazz in the latter half of their first back-to-back of the season.

More than just a pivotal win, the game also represented Steven Adams' return from the third game he has missed this season due to rest/injury, and his impact was immediately apparent as the Rockets, despite a shaky first half, absolutely dominated the Kings en route to a 121-95 victory.

They outrebounded, out-manned, and flat-out outplayed Sacramento throughout the entirety of the second half, and, while Adams' impact on the box score was impressive, it was his presence, and his contribution to the team's growing identity, that made the biggest difference for Houston.

Steven Adams is the heart and soul of this Rockets team

At the start of the game, it looked as though Rockets fans could be in for another tough watch. After a performance against the Jazz in which the team amassed 13 turnovers and looked decidedly flat on both ends of the floor, Houston was yet again turning the ball over and missing shots en masse, falling behind by one at halftime to a lowly Kings team.

In the second half, however, the defense took over, getting stops and deflections and pumping out buckets in transition. Simultaneously, the offense found its footing, with Durant 24 points, Sengun finishing with 28 and Amen Thompson finishing with 20.

Yet, it was Adams who truly propelled the team to the turnaround they so desperately needed. In just 17 minutes on the court, he posted 11 points, eight rebounds (five of which were offensive) and two blocks, going 5-of-6 from the field and looking like one of the best rim protectors in the league for a large stretch of the third quarter.

In their second game against the Jazz, the Rockets both lost the rebound battle and were largely unable to run their 2-3 zone defense effectively as a result of Adams' absence. Against the Kings, however, their impressive second half was kickstarted by the fact that they won the rebounding battle over the course of the game by an astonishing margin: 71-39.

In a literal sense, Durant is certainly this team's most important player. He's their leading scorer, and he's what every opposing team prepares for first in their scouting process.

Yet, this team's identity so far this season has not just been forged on elite offense; it hinges just as heavily on their ability to provide staunch defense on the interior and out-wrestle their opponents on the offensive glass. In this sense, Adams is absolutely vital to what the Rockets do, and this team would not be seeing the success it has without him.

Houston has a 16.2 net-rating this season when Adams is on the court (compared to a 7.8 when he's off), and, while Adams will need his rest as the season goes on in order to ensure his health for the playoffs, the Rockets will certainly miss him sorely every time he's gone.