After 5 straight losses, should Rockets fans be worried?

Does a five-game losing streak give the Rockets' cheesiest fans permission to say "Houston, we have a problem"?

The team doesn't look good right now. It won its 14th game in a row 11 days ago, and that certainly feels like an eternity for a squad many expected to compete with those pesky Golden State Warriors.

Shortly after the Rockets' winning streak came to a halt at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, general manager Daryl Morey revealed his obsession with beating the Warriors.

"It's the only thing we think about," he said on ESPN's "The Ryen Russillo Show." "I think I'm not supposed to say that, but we're basically obsessed with, 'How do we beat the Warriors?'"

After the Lakers loss, they fell to the Clippers, were beat on Christmas by the Oklahoma City Thunder, blew a 26-point lead to the Boston Celtics, and were beat down from start to finish Friday night by the Washington Wizards.

So what's forced the Rockets to obsess over beating not just the NBA champs, but any team?

Injuries

The Chris Paul trade was supposed to make the Rockets flourish, and it really did. They've been terrific when he has played, going 15-2 in those games.

The issue is Paul's health. He injured his knee in the first contest, missing 15 games. He was then diagnosed with an adductor strain during the Lakers loss, and missed another three.

It's a discouraging development for a team that shipped away several role players to acquire the superstar they so desired to play with James Harden.

However, Paul's absence isn't the only one that's hurt the Rockets. Center Clint Capela, who has become one of the league's best finishers, rebounders, and shot-blockers, has been an essential cog in the paint for the sharp-shooting Rockets. His interior presence on both ends of the floor was one of their keys to success during their long winning streak.

Capela suffered an orbital fracture against the Thunder and has missed the past two games. He also missed three of four games prior to Christmas Day with a heel injury.

The Rockets have been without key rotation players Luc Mbah a Moute and Nene, as well. Length and defense have been weaknesses throughout the losing streak, and if the roster is incapable of staying healthy, it's difficult to imagine it competing with any top team in the West, let alone the Warriors.

Who has Harden's back?

Through the slew of injuries, the Rockets have realized a potential weakness: their lack of depth.

The injuries they've sustained aren't easy to manage, especially with three of the missing players logging more than 25 minutes per game. Still, though, Harden has had little to no support during this backslide.

In what should've been back-to-back victories for the Rockets against the two lowly squads from Los Angeles, Harden finished both games with 51 points. That's 102 points in two games. Yet, the two L.A. teams, whose combined win totals match that of the Rockets, came out victorious.

Eric Gordon gave Harden and the Rockets his all, adding 21.8 points per game during the rough stretch. Other than that, there was little support. Ryan Anderson and P.J. Tucker have been atrocious over the past five games. The Rockets are 13.8 points better with Anderson off the floor and 11.2 points better without Tucker.

The rotations have shrunk without the support of Capela and Paul. However, it's Mbah a Moute that has given them underrated production this year, as he's hitting 37 percent from three while sporting a defensive rating of 97.3. The Rockets' defense has taken a huge hit without the long-limbed Cameroonian on the floor.

No size, no D, no W

So what has losing a significant chunk of their roster done to the Rockets' defense? Before the losing streak, they were ranked seventh in the league with a 102.5 defensive rating. In the last five games, they have a last-place rating of 115.6.

Without Capela, the Rockets have used Nene as their starting center. But whenever the aged Brazilian sits, Tucker has been the primary replacement at the five.

Tucker has been solid this year in his role as a defender and occasional 3-point threat. However, when the 6-foot-6 forward is used as an undersized stretch center, the roster's inability to protect the rim is exposed. He's capable of making life difficult for opposing big men with his strength and wide base, but with no legitimate rim-protector, the Rockets have suffered.

One of the big reasons Tucker has looked good this season has been due to the support of Mbah a Moute. The tandem has produced an impressive net rating of 20.5 in 445 minutes together off the bench. Plugging in Tucker at center with Mbah a Moute next to him gives the Rockets some semblance of rim-protection.

That poor interior defense has shown that Capela may be the second-most valuable member of the roster. Without Paul, the Rockets are still capable of running Harden as a point guard for 40 of 48 possible minutes. Without Capela, though, they miss the size they've heavily invested in.

Capela ranks first in the league in field-goal percentage at 69.1 percent, and his 11.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks have made him the Rockets' defensive MVP. They've yet to prove they can recover without him.

With Paul's return Friday night and optimism that Capela's isn't far off, the Rockets appear to be on a path to recovery. There's no real reason for concern at the moment, but if they can't win with their depth restored, there's permission to panic - especially with the Warriors looking to take control of the West.