It’s safe to say that the NBA has nearly gone positionless over the last few seasons, especially in the playoffs. ‘Small ball’ took over the league in the late 2010s, and since then, the postseasons has been about teams matching their opponents in any way possible, sometimes by playing four guards at the same time.
However, the last few years have seen a phenomenon make an unexpected return to the league. It started a few seasons ago in Minnesota. The Timberwolves acquired Rudy Gobert to pair him with fellow big man Karl-Anthony Towns. The 2022-23 season was an adjustment period for the two seven-footers, however, last year saw the ‘double big’ lineup get to the Western Conference Finals.
Since then, we’ve seen different teams utilize this strategy, and it’s been working. The Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that finished the regular season 68-14, have elevated their status even more with Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren in the frontcourt.
New York Knicks fans have been calling for the team to pair Towns, who was traded to the team last year, with center Mitchell Robinson in the starting lineup to create their own ‘double big’ lineup. The two statistically elevate the Knicks compared to when one or neither of them is on the floor.
Karl-Anthony Towns says he and Mitchell Robinson will form a “tall lineup” and that he feels comfortable with the pairing given his experience alongside Rudy Gobert in Minnesota pic.twitter.com/EVsR09hVBp
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 7, 2025
Which now brings us to the Houston Rockets, who have thrived with a lineup featuring centers Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams. Sengun and Adams, who are 6-foot-11, most recently helped the Rockets win Game 6 of their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors, as the two combined for 38 points, 19 rebounds, six assists, four steals, and three blocks.
Alperen Sengun on Steven Adams’ impact…
“I hate playing against him at practise and I’m sure other teams hate him, too. He gives me a lot of space when two bodies gotta box him out. He does the hard job. I do the easy job and clean up.” pic.twitter.com/HfIi3nFS8C
— Steven Adams Stats (@funakistats) May 3, 2025
Head coach Ime Udoka has been using this ‘double big’ lineup more and more as Adams has gotten healthier throughout the regular season. Statistically, the two sharing the floor have created one of the best lineups in the league, even though the two barely take shots from beyond the arc. Sengun is shooting 23.3% from three, while Adams doesn’t take those shots at all.
The Rockets with Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun both on the floor:
117.2 offensive rating
85 defensive rating
+32.2 net rating-Rebounding 48.2% of Houston’s misses
-Holding Steph Curry to only 45.7 eFG%
-Holding Jimmy Butler to only 36.1 eFG%
Pure dominance for Houston. pic.twitter.com/Nh1BhmtUfe
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) May 3, 2025
Perhaps we are seeing the start of a slow death when it comes to ‘small ball,’ and the reemergence of tall lineups in the NBA. Even though Sengun and Adams aren’t shooters, positionless basketball has allowed teams to mix and match centers with an extended range or defensive-oriented skillsets. The Rockets are only amplifying it.
