Steven Adams' resurgence highlights Rockets' biggest need

The Houston Rockets are a flawed team.

That's fine. This team is young. As of this writing, the Rockets are 23-12. They are second in the Western Conference. The Rockets have surpassed expectations en route to what's been a wildly successful season.

Still, those flaws persist. The Rockets are woefully light on three-point shooting. That's been a major concern all year long. There have also been worries about the team's center rotation behind Alperen Sengun.

There's no need for those worries anymore.

Rockets' Steven Adams is turning the corner

Adams is known for two abilities: setting the league's hardest screens, and gobbling up offensive rebounds.

Screening is a bit difficult to quantify. That's fine - we know Adams has been his usual self in that regard. His ability to screen doesn't rely on mobility. Adams is still carved from granite, and he's been setting devastating screens all year.

How about those offensive rebounds?

That is absurd. Over the last five games, Adams is more than doubling the output of the next-best offensive rebounder in the NBA. To put it succinctly:

He's back.

Adams is resuming his spot as one of the best backup big men in the NBA. That's critical for the Rockets. We've seen fans and pundits alike link them to names like Robert Williams III and Jonas Valanciunas.

Now, it's clear that forfeiting assets for either would be a misallocation of resources. Sengun is a rising star, and Adams is an elite backup. The Rockets don't need another big man.

Especially when they have more pressing needs.

Rockets' need for shooting exceeds everything else

The Rockets are shooting 32.6% from long-range. That's second-last in the NBA behind the Magic.

In many respects, the Magic and Rockets are similar. These are both young teams with an excess of young talent who are winning games. One major difference is that the Magic have the luxury of playing in the Eastern Conference.

The Rockets have to navigate the war zone that is the West. As of now, they look like a playoff lock. The Rockets even project to have homecourt advantage in the opening round. Those are regular season accomplishments:

The playoffs are a different beast.

Being the worst shooting team in the Conference will not be tenable in the postseason. Sure, the Rockets could lose in the first round this year, and it wouldn't be catastrophic. Making the playoffs will qualify 2024-25 as a successful season:

But why not give it the old college try?

Rockets general manager Rafael Stone shouldn't be breaking the bank. There's no need to surrender multiple first-round picks for Cameron Johnson. By contrast, it would be sensible to bring in a movement shooter. Someone like Malik Beasley, Garrison Mathews, Luke Kennard or Alec Burks would give this team a much-needed dynamic. The Rockets would be able to mix and match players with legitimate three-point gravity alongside young stars like Alperen Sengun:

Otherwise, they should be content when Steven Adams is on the floor.