3 Areas where the Houston Rockets need to improve in the 2nd half of the season

#2 Size

Houston Rockets v Los Angeles Clippers

The Rockets have one of the smallest lineups in the league right now. That is of course not the worst thing per se, but their lack of size affects areas like their perimeter defense and rebounding. Some lineups have already trapped PJ Tucker at center and a guard like Austin Rivers at power forward. This puts a lot of toll on the players as they have to work extra hard to keep their team afloat against bigger and stronger opponents.

Mike D'Antoni keeps a tight rotation in the regular season and an even tighter one in the playoffs. Putting extra pressure and load on players during the regular season can be pretty wearisome even before the postseason has started.

Houston could look to trade for an elite wing defender before the trade deadline to improve this roster. It's pretty obvious that the team needs a bigger guy in the roster as their perimeter defense isn't the best in the league. When you lack perimeter defense, you either give up a bunch of threes or force your center to put in extra effort as the last line of defense.

Furthermore, an improved size can also help in the rebounding woes of the Rockets. We've seen Westbrook be a rebounding machine in OKC, and this had led to multiple fastbreak opportunities for the Thunder. An improved rebounding can do the same for the Rockets. With a small and speedy lineup like they have, rebounding and starting a fastbreak can lead to lots of easy points for the Rockets.