Houston Lost Three of Its Best Wing Defenders This Summer. That Could Be a Problem.

The Houston Rockets had one of the wildest offseasons in recent memory. Last summer they pulled off a seven-team trade to land Kevin Durant. That was the kind of move that makes you rethink your whole ceiling. But then they got bounced in the first round of the playoffs, and suddenly that ceiling felt a lot lower.

This summer the front office got busy again. They brought back Tari Eason, which was a priority. They signed Marcus Smart for backcourt defense and Bogdan Bogdanovic for bench scoring. Smart has been around winning teams his whole career. Bogdanovic can get hot and win you a quarter. On paper, these moves make sense.

But here’s the thing the Rockets might not have fully accounted for. They let three of their best perimeter defenders walk. Josh Okogie signed with the Utah Jazz. Jae’Sean Tate is still hanging around unsigned. Dorian Finney-Smith got traded to clear cap space. Those three guys were the ones who guarded the other team’s best wing every night. Now they’re gone.

Ime Udoka can coach defense better than most. His teams always play hard and switch everything. But there are limits. Alperen Sengun is a skilled offensive big man who gets targeted in pick-and-roll defense. Reed Sheppard is a rookie guard with a lot to learn on that end. You can only scheme so much before the personnel catches up to you.

The Western Conference isn’t getting any easier. LaMelo Ball and Ja Morant both got traded from the East. Those are guards who can break down a defense, and teams have started throwing taller defenders at them to disrupt their rhythm. The Rockets don’t have that option anymore. Their best wing defender is probably Amen Thompson, who is legitimately one of the best defenders in the league. But if Thompson has to chase around Ja Morant, Kevin Durant is the one left guarding the other team’s best wing. Durant is 37 years old and has a long injury history. That’s not ideal.

League-wide, teams have been prioritizing wing defense for years. The Rockets are going the other direction. It’s possible Udoka’s system covers for it, the way it did last season when Houston finished sixth in defensive rating. But the West has added more firepower, and the Rockets have subtracted three of their best on-ball stoppers. That math doesn’t look great.