In recent games, the Rockets often lose big scores, such as the previous Rockets home loss to the Lakers, the whole game let the Lakers bomb 132 points, although the Rockets have maintained the suspense of the game until the last minute, but I am afraid that no one thinks that the rockets' defensive quality in this game is first-class. NBA expert Ben Dubos also gave a reasonable explanation for the game, arguing that the reason why the Rockets were not able to have a very good defensive performance was only because the Lakers' several "Hall of Fame" superstars performed too brightly.
James, Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony have penetrated the Rockets' defensive system with their personal ability, but in fact, this does not mean that the Rockets' defense is not good, this game is just a "small sample event" and cannot be used as a reference for the entire season.
In fact, Dubos believes that the Rockets' little Porter's growth on the defensive end has been underestimated, although Porter Jr.'s defense did not attract much attention at all last season, but some data this season shows that Porter Jr.'s defensive ability has indeed improved significantly compared to his own performance last season.
Didn't the Rockets have a period of 7 consecutive wins, during that time, according to statistics, the Rockets' net win score and overall defense (111.4) ranked 3rd among all the teams in the NBA, and in these 7 dazzling games, 5 of them were Porter Jr.'s core games, when he was not out of the game due to injury, and the Rockets' defense ranked 14th in these games.
However, at the beginning of this month, Porter Jr. recovered from a thigh contusion until the previous game against the Lakers, and in the absence of Porter Jr., the Rockets' offense was still at the top 25% of the league, but the Rockets lost more and won less, because of the defense, Houston's defense became the worst of the 30 teams (122.7).
This is the role of Porter Jr., although the Rockets also have many players missing or triggering the agreement to be suspended, but the lack of Porter Jr.'s defense, so that the Rockets suddenly changed from an NBA offensive first-class, defensive team to today's strong and weak team.
Originally, Porter Jr.'s average of 13.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.35 blocks per game was not very eye-catching in the entire NBA point guard, but in fact, Porter Jr.'s value was not only reflected in his offensive end and passing end, more often, Porter Jr. was using his tough defense to help the Rockets clear obstacles and win games. This is also why after the injury of Porter Jr., the Rockets' record suddenly changed from 7 consecutive wins to more losses and less wins, and Porter Jr. is the main reason.
Rockets coach Silas has also noticed that Porter Jr.'s defense has improved significantly from last season, and Porter Jr. himself has said that he wants to become a player like Nuwaba on the defensive end. Even in the interview, when asked about the progress of defense, 21-year-old Kevin Porter Jr. offered to say that improving his defensive ability will be a "clear priority" for the 2021-2022 season.
Maybe some fans see that Porter Jr. makes too many mistakes, loves the ball too much and likes his own offense, always feel that Porter Jr. has not improved at all compared to last season, but in fact, the data reflects everything, Porter Jr. may not have improved significantly in terms of offensive end and passing, but on the defensive end, he has grown into an elite defender.