Another week of Rockets’ basketball down… this time without off the floor embarrassment. The Houston Rockets finished the week 2-1 after two big wins against the Sacramento Kings and a tough loss against Dallas. As mentioned in last week’s Round-Up, Houston started off their season short-handed (well, it started off no-handed, and then short-handed… now Houston is operating mostly fully handed). As the Rockets have returned, Houston’s got several very fun storylines to be following as the season really gets underway.
For those keeping track of analytics at home, Houston is playing in the middle of the league in terms of pace, in the lower third of the year defensively, and in the top third offensively. This makes a lot of sense given Coach Stephen Silas is in his rookie campaign as a coach. His last job was akin to an offensive coordinator with the Dallas Mavericks.
For those not following the analytics, the fact that Houston is sub-average defensively is eye-opening because the defensive efforts are noticeably stronger than a year ago. Schemes and coverages are new, but those are things the Rockets will learn better as the year goes on. The effort and intention on defense, unlike Houston had at times last year, are clear.
The season has a new interesting set up. To limit travel, the NBA set up a lot of baseball style two-game series throughout the season. Thus instead of getting their two games in with Sacramento at some point throughout the year, Houston hosted the Kings twice in the span of three days. This provides interesting insight into how teams will play in a playoff series. Teams get the chance to play, digest, adapt, and play the same team again. Adjustments are always important in the playoffs, and now teams get a chance to practice them in the season. So, how’d that go for Houston the first time?
Sacramento Kings Game 1 Positives (W, 122 – 119)
Houston struggled to protect the rim in their first week of play. In the third game of the season, Houston started off with the same problems. However, as the game went on, the Rockets grew a stouter defensive presence. Sacramento shot just 36.8 percent from inside the arc in the third quarter, and the big man trio of Marvin Bagley III, Richaun Holmes, and Hassan Whiteside was held to just 12 points combined in the second half. With Christian Wood in foul trouble, the defensive interior fell a lot on the switching small-ball defense of a year ago. Jae’Sean Tate, PJ Tucker, Eric Gordon, and Danuel House. These “tweeners” did a great job keeping the ball at the perimeter and forcing contested interior looks without a big in the lane to deter shots.
John Wall
One obvious difference between the Rockets in week one and week two was number one. John Wall was back in action and, though he scored just eight points in 16 minutes, his playmaking paired perfectly with James Harden on the opposite wing. Harden and Wood were on the receiving end of seven of Wall’s nine assists, making the three-headed monster in Houston click for the first time this year. Wall directed pace on offense and put the ball where it needed to be. It did not look like it was his first game in Silas’ system by any stretch, which is encouraging.
Harden’s Fourth Quarter
The biggest positive was that the fourth quarter belonged to a dialed James Harden. 16 of Harden’s 33 points came in the fourth. With ball pressure on Wall starting the offense, he and Harden clearly worked out a way to get Harden to his spots.
— Taylor Pate (@taylorlpate) January 1, 2021
Harden finished strong and defense held. This has been the magic in Houston for almost a decade at this point. When The Beard finishes strong, so do the Rockets.
Perhaps the most fun moment came at the end when James Harden and Jae’Sean Tate, who had a reported altercation at practice, had another one after the game
— Taylor Pate (@taylorlpate) January 1, 2021
Sacramento Kings Game 1 Problems (W, 122 – 119)
It’s still early in Boogie Cousins’ recovery, and David Nwaba played a lot of minutes in the week prior, but just getting a combined five minutes between them is worrisome. For Houston to be competitive in a serious way, those two guys will need to be able to contribute. Especially in a game where Christian Wood is in foul trouble. If they can’t play then or need more rest than the previous week allowed, maybe their rehab is at a different place than we understood (both played more, but not a lot, in the second game… so it is something to keep an eye on).
Houston had a lot of trouble defending Harrison Barnes. Barnes was craft enough to get around traditional “guard” defenders and explosive enough to get by the bigger ones. Barnes had 24 points on 14 field goals to lead the Kings.
Is This a One-Man Show?
The other issue in this game was actually directly tied to a positive. Houston has relied on James Harden to do it all a lot in his time in Houston. It’s proven successful against nearly everyone. Nearly. For Houston to have a shot at making the next jump, the Rockets are going to need to find ways to create besides that. It’s not that Harden can’t muster up magic, it’s that it gets predictable. Houston needs to have versatility and options. If anything, that would make the Harden takeover better because teams couldn’t go all-in on cutting it off.
That said, Houston getting its first win is always a positive. Sacramento is a tough team that pushes the pace with tremendous speed and Houston looked like they could make adjustments throughout the night to make them at least change their attack as the game went on.
Sacramento Kings Game 2 Positives (W, 102 – 94)
Where to begin with this one? The halftime defensive adjustments? The re-emergence of John Wall? The James Harden-less offense? Three 20 point scorers?
The headline going in was that James Harden was sitting with a minor ankle injury. After his performance in the first three games, the more appropriate injury would have been his back after carrying the franchise on his shoulders. The question immediately became “the Rockets needed every single one of Harden’s fourth-quarter points. How can they win without them?”
Defense
The answer was fairly simple: don’t let the Kings score as many points as last time.
GIF thread from #Rockets–#Kings part TWO by @taylorlpate: pic.twitter.com/EMXjQ4DxFN
— Apollo Media (@ApolloHOU) January 3, 2021
Houston allowed just 30 points in the second half and just 13 in the fourth quarter. The defensive adjustments were impressive, but the key difference was the intensity. Wood’s defense on the interior matched Jae’Sean Tate’s positional flexibility. David “Nwaba-Daba-Doo” was relentless in ball-pressure, and the switching Rockets made their return.
Harden’s Support Group
On the other side of the floor, Houston found success with the trio of John Wall, Christian Wood, and Eric Gordon all scored over 20 points. Sterling Brown chipped in his own 11, and the remaining five Rockets in rotation each scored as well. On the whole, Houston found ways to distribute the scoring void Harden left behind with his ankle injury.
This was facilitated by split floor sets. Silas’ offenses include things like a pick and pop opposite a double screen on a flair to the corner, thus successfully occupying all five defenders and limiting help-side defense. Game two with Sacramento was a great insight as to how Silas can grow as he sees a team over the course of a playoff series.
— Apollo Media (@ApolloHOU) January 3, 2021
Sacramento Kings Game 2 Problems (W, 102 – 94)
The Sacramento Kings, from either Rocket-induced frustrations or lingering bad tastes, began imploding between games of the series. Marvin Bagley II, Bagley III’s father, replied to a tweet and asked for his son to be traded. Aaron Fox, father of De’Aaron Fox, responded on Twitter with “Trade him”. The Kings look like their hot start has fizzled.
Marvin Bagley’s dad wants his son traded… De’Aaron Fox’s dad wants Bagley traded too ?
— NBA Buzz (@OfficialNBABuzz) January 4, 2021
Things are getting messy in Sacramento ?
Thoughts?@TeamBagley / @aaronlfox5 pic.twitter.com/TCTZQd56RW
The disagreement seems to stem from the idea that Bagley III wasn’t being used correctly. While Sacramento thinks tweets may not be the kind of thing that disrupts a team, disagreements over roles often do. After seeing Houston bleed points to centers in their first week, Bagley’s low usage indicates he may have a point.
Dallas Mavericks Game Positives (L, 113 – 100)
The shorthanded Rockets gave Luka Doncic his “get his mojo back” game, but there were silver linings on Monday night. Harden played, though appeared to be missing that extra gear that a healthy set of ankles affords. On the same kind of opposite side sets that Houston ran well against Sacramento, Houston created 33 shots within eight feet of the rim and 40 three-pointers. Of those three-pointers, more than half were defined as “open” (nearest defender is between four and six feet away) or “wide open” (six or more feet) by NBA Advanced Stats. That is all to say that schematically, Houston’s offense was sound. That they shot just 39-percent from the field, 27.5-percent from three, is partially the randomness of basketball.
With 10 minutes left, Sterling Brown hit a three to tie up the game at 85. Down two, Gordon missed a wide-open three just before the eight-minute mark. The next four minutes, Dallas went on a gut-wrenching 12-5 run that iced it. Houston, with Danuel House and Ben McLemore in street clothes, was within reach at the crucial point of the game that they shot the ball poorly. For a team with so many new parts, the goal should be to continue to improve in those moments.
Dallas Mavericks Game Problems (L, 113 – 100)
The same issues with the interior of the defense from a week ago reared their heads again. Willie Cauley-Stein, a new face in Dallas’ starting lineup, had 15 points, the most he’s ever had in a Mavericks uniform. Once the defense collapsed to cut him and a driving Doncic off, Tim Hardaway Jr. lit up Houston for the second time in four months from behind the arc. His 30 point night was jaw-dropping. He only averages 17.7 points per game in his career, and only had 15.8 points per game in Dallas last season. In Orlando and Houston alike, he seems to always be open in the corner against the Rockets. They’re going to need to cut that guy out to have success against the Mavs.
Are They Playing Dallas or the Referees?
Another issue for Houston was adjusting to referees. Houston was rattled by quick whistles early and flabbergasted at DeMarcus Cousins’ ejection. Both of his two technicals in three minutes were questionable at the very least.
From pool report with crew chief John Goble : ”DeMarcus Cousins received a technical foul for an overt gesture directed at an official in resentment of a non-call.”
— Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) January 5, 2021
It was Cousins 2nd technical foul, thus an ejection. pic.twitter.com/98h0OyySX1
With Cousins gone, the defensive struggles continued to drown Houston.
Offensive Struggles
On offense, Houston’s shooting struggles evoked the 0-27 nightmare from two and a half years ago. On Monday night, Danuel House and Ben McLemore (both 37-percent career three-point shooters) were severely missed. That said, Tucker going just 0-1, Wood 0-5, and Nwaba 1-3 struggles just amplifies Harden’s 3-11 night. It would have helped to have House and McLemore, but Houston needs to be able to break 30-percent from three-point land without them too. Both are not making the trip to Indiana for the next game, giving the rest of the Rockets another chance to step up.
If Tucker continues to have “0-1 nights” from behind the arc, he’s going to lose his minutes to the younger, quicker, and more energetic Jae’Sean Tate. Tucker has the benefit of the doubt as a vet thus far, but Tate getting just 24 minutes hurt Houston. Tate and Gordon were the only players with significant minutes to log positive plus-minus minutes, and Tate’s six-foot-nine wingspan and his 230 lbs. frame would fit exactly where Houston plays Tucker. Tucker has been a fan favorite in Houston since his arrival for his toughness, the way he owns his role, and his sneakers. His expiring contract may be on its way out if his play doesn’t return to form. If it can, and Houston has he and Tate in that role, they’re solid. If not… they could be in trouble.
Hey Texans fans, we’ll make a spot for you over here in *Funland with the Rockets!
— Taylor Pate (@taylorlpate) January 4, 2021
*Terms and conditions may apply. Offer not valid should James Harden be traded. No purchase necessary. pic.twitter.com/TRLoZhZtbS
(Thanks for the .GIFS, @TaylorLPate)
