8 wins and 1 loss! 3 league firsts! The most surprising team in the NBA, the championship may not be in doubt

In the NBA, a league full of variables, the Rockets' start to this season has undoubtedly become one of the biggest surprises. After Durant joined in the high-profile offseason, many people originally predicted that this young team would go through a period of pain, but reality slapped the doubters hard in the face. Currently, with Van Jordan out for the season, the Rockets have started the season with a record of 8 wins and 3 losses, with a winning rate of over 70%. Especially after experiencing two consecutive losses in the beginning, the Rockets ranked first in the league with 8 wins and 1 loss in the past 9 games. At the same time, the Rockets are also first in the league in offensive efficiency and rebounding, and have the highest three-point shooting percentage in the league. These are the three firsts in the league.

This is not only impressive in terms of statistics, but also reflects the rapid formation of the team's chemical reaction. Durant himself seems to have found a long-lost comfort zone. Compared with the Suns, he plays more easily and efficiently. Rockets local media person Roosh Williams recently listed a series of data on Twitter, which perfectly explains the superstar's "dimensionality reduction strike" return.

First, let’s look at Durant’s offensive performance. This season, he's averaging just 16.5 shots per game, the lowest number of shots per game in his career -- the same number he averaged with the Golden State Warriors in 2016-17. That year, Durant was at his peak, but he was willing to sacrifice personal ball rights for the team and integrate into Curry and Thompson's system. Now in the Rockets, he has recreated that low-key but deadly efficiency. The ball usage rate (Usage Rate) was only 26.4%, which was also a career low and even lower than the 27.8% in the Warriors' first year.

In today's NBA, stars often pursue higher ball possession rates to increase their statistics, but Durant does the opposite. His scoring average reached 25.1 points per game, which was the same as the Warriors that year. what does that mean? Durant has returned to his "comfort zone": he has less possession of the ball and takes fewer shots, but his scoring and efficiency have not decreased at all but have increased.

This efficiency is no accident. Durant's shot selection is more refined. He makes more use of off-the-ball movements, open opportunities after pick-and-rolls, and mismatched singles created by teammates. The Rockets' young core - Shen Jing, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith, Shepard and Ethan - are all growing rapidly, and their energy shares a lot of organizational and creative pressure for Durant. Especially on the defensive end, Durant has become the Rockets' "number one player."

So far this season, when Durant defends his opponent, his opponent's shooting percentage is only 39.8%, which is the best statistic on the team. Among the 177 players in the NBA who have defended at least 100 shots this season, Durant ranks better than 92 percent in this metric. This is not only a reflection of personal defensive ability, but also the key reason why Durant chose the Rockets: He needs a platform that allows him to focus on scoring while shining on the defensive end, rather than shouldering the entire burden like he did in the Suns.

Durant's joining is essentially an accelerator for the Rockets' reconstruction plan. The team management made a bold trade in the offseason and sent away multiple assets in exchange for the future Hall of Famer in order to inject championship genes into the young core. As an inside pillar, Shen Jing makes Durant even more powerful. Many observers compare Shen Jing to "80% Jokic." Although this metaphor is exaggerated, it is quite convincing when supported by data.

NBA analyst Steve Ilardi recently compared the performance of the two players at the age of 23. Although there is a gap, Shen Jing's potential has been fully revealed. Shen Jing's average statistics this season: 22.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.9 blocks, a true shooting percentage of 59.9%, and an on-off value of +12.0. This means that when the Rockets have Shen Jing on the court, the team outscores their opponents by 12 points per 100 possessions; when he comes off the court, the advantage is gone. On the other hand, when Jokic was 23 years old, he had 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.7 blocks, a true shooting percentage of 58.9%, and an On-Off +3.2. Shen Jing is slightly better in points, assists, blocks and overall influence, especially in efficiency and team contribution. His passing vision, finishing at the basket and high post support make the Rockets' offensive system as smooth as the Nuggets in the Jokic era.

The rise of Shen Jing directly liberated Durant. On the surface, Durant is the face of the Rockets - the spokesperson on posters and the focus of the media. But in terms of actual play style, the Rockets built a system with Shen Jing as the core. This is a clever complementation of roles: Shen Jing is responsible for holding the ball in the high post, organizing series and inside containment, while Durant is transformed into a terminator, using his height and wingspan to stand by on the weak side or to attack alone in a misplaced position.

Shen Jing's pick-and-roll quality is extremely high, often creating open three-pointers or mid-range opportunities for Durant; at the same time, Shen Jing's rebounding and secondary offensive capabilities reduce Durant's frequent need to grab rebounds when he was in the Suns. The two teamed up to put the Rockets' offensive efficiency among the top in the league.

Looking deeper, this combination reflects the tactical wisdom of Rockets coach Uduka. Uduka once assisted Tatum and Brown in the Celtics and knows how to balance the growth of stars and young people. He did not let Durant forcefully dominate everything, but encouraged Shen Jing to dominate the high position, while Durant roamed in the low post or at the top of the arc. This "dual-core" model not only reduces Durant's physical load (he averaged nearly 20 shots per game during the Suns period, with a usage rate of over 30%), but also accelerates the maturity of young people. Amen's explosive power, Smith's shooting, Sheppard's three-point playmaker, and Ethan's defense were all amplified by Shen Jing's connection. The Rockets are no longer a team that is "redeemed by Durant alone", but have risen collectively.

The starting record of 8 wins and 3 losses has caused the outside world to re-evaluate the Rockets' upper limit. Van Jordan's absence should have been a huge blow, but the team took the opportunity to test its depth. Durant's defensive contribution is even more surprising - his opponent's shooting percentage of 39.8% proves that he is not a "scoring machine" who only attacks but does not defend.. During the Warriors, he was the Finals MVP; with the Nets, he shouldered a team troubled by injuries; with the Suns, although there were highlights in two years, the incompatibility of the system led to a decline in efficiency. Now in the Rockets, Durant has finally found a balance: low usage rate (26.4%), high efficiency (25.1 points), and all-around defense.

Looking to the future, the Rockets have unlimited potential. If Shen Jing continues to improve and is close to Jokic's comprehensiveness, Durant can make this league lose its suspense. Moreover, Shepard has been playing like Curry recently. The Rockets' five young players have a steep growth curve, and the team's salary space is flexible. If they strengthen the back line next season (such as Van Jordan's return or foreign aid), the Rockets may become a strong force in the Western Conference. The real value of Durant's joining lies not in the immediate results, but in the championship culture he injects into this youth army. The doubters have been slapped in the face, and the "Durant Era" of the Rockets has just begun.