What We've Learned About 2014-15 Houston Rockets so Far
One week into the 2014-15 season, the Rockets are off to a good start. There hasn't been great competition just yet, but we still have seen the guys in red and white enough to make some observations.
After losing a lot of talent in the offseason, a lot of people were worried about how the Rockets would fare this year. So far, there have been ups and downs in the Rockets' rotation without the likes of Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin.
The focus in training camp on defense is paying dividends. Some of the new signings have looked good, and the starters have gotten the job done. However, the bench production leaves plenty to be desired.
This year's just getting started, but let's take a look at some early takeaways from the Rockets in this young season.
All stats are from ESPN.com unless otherwise noted and are accurate as of 11/1/2014.
The Defense Has Gotten Better
1 of 5
It was a focal point all summer long for Harden and the Rockets. Coming into training camp, coach Kevin McHale and his staff made it a priority to improve their defense, and so far it's working.
It may be early, but the Rockets so far are giving up just over 90 points per game, compared to 103.1 last season. The effort on that end of the floor has been solid, with a lot of action and communication among the Rocket defenders. The opponents so far haven't been great, but holding any team to 90 points is an impressive defensive feat, especially for a team that has struggled in that regard for so long.
Dwight Howard is one of the best in the business at protecting the rim. Patrick Beverley, coming off his second team All-NBA defense performance last year, has done his part to keep opposing guards in check.
Also, newcomer Trevor Ariza has taken on the best scorer each night and has held them in check. Kobe Bryant scored 19 points, but it took him 17 shots to get there. New max contract player Gordon Hayward was held to just eight points.
The new and improved defense has yielded positive results thus far. The good news about this defensive-minded Rockets squad is that it is less likely to lose to poor teams because now it actually holds its own defensively. It's a new era of Rockets basketball, and the new focus on defense will help this team drastically in the long run.
Ariza Fits in Just Fine
2 of 5
Many fans were upset to see Chandler Parsons leave this summer, especially not very far, up north to the rival Dallas Mavericks. However, Ariza has been a very sufficient replacement, to say the least.
Morey's big signing of the offseason, Ariza, has played well in the early stages of his return to Houston. He fits the system quite nicely, with his superb three-point shooting and, as I mentioned in the last side, shutdown defending.
As a playmaker, Parsons was much better at creating his own shot in the offense. But Ariza has perhaps outplayed Parsons in other areas. His perimeter defense is significantly better than Parsons', and his 55 percent shooting from deep is a step above Parsons as well.
With the new focus on defense, Ariza may be a better fit after all. He is an elite wing defender who can guard the best scorers in the league, and his behind-the-arc success is a nice bonus, especially in Houston's offense.
Where Are the Pick-and-Rolls?
3 of 5
It's no secret now that Dwight Howard doesn't love the pick-and-roll. Even though he and Harden can create one of the most deadly offensive sets in the NBA, the Rockets are yet to embrace that opportunity.
So far this year, the Rockets have run most of the offense through the low post. Dwight is getting the ball early and often down low, but it hasn't been hugely successful. As described in this article by Bleacher's own Ian Levy (the mySynergySports website requires a subscription), the possessions devoted to Howard's post game don't fare too well.
On post-up plays for Dwight, he averaged just 0.77 points per possession. On pick-and-rolls with Harden, however, Dwight averaged 1.31 points per possession. The percent chance of Dwight finishing is significantly better when he and Harden run the pick-and-roll, rather than feeding him in the post.
Morey's a smart guy. He knows analytics better than anyone in the association. So explain to me how he is not forcing McHale to run the freaking pick-and-rolls already.
All of the attention toward defense is great and all, but these two guys could lead an offensive juggernaut. They just are choosing not to.
The offense hasn't been bad. Houston is still averaging over 105 points per game, thanks to solid three-point shooting and an effective transition offense. But it could be so much better. Like this much better.
Terrence Jones Is Good
4 of 5
Harden and Howard are the cornerstones of this team. They do their thing night in and night out. Even Ariza has his specific role each game. Terrence Jones, however, is a wild card.
We know he has game. After earning the starting power forward job last season, T Jones had spurts of greatness, dominating the glass and putting up big numbers. However, he also disappeared in several games, especially in the playoffs.
This season, Jones has a lot to prove. The Rockets were this close to replacing him with Chris Bosh over the summer. He still is probably their best asset in the hunt for a third star. For the time being, however, Jones is killing it with the Rockets.
In the early going this season, Jones is averaging over 16 points and eight rebounds per game. These are more than enough for his role in Houston's system. With Harden and Howard dominating the touches every game, Jones has done a great job of providing energy, rebounding and athleticism in transition to help the Rockets on both ends of the floor.
Jones has gotten a couple blocks in each contest, and he even has hit a few threes to help space the floor offensively. Whether he's part of the future or just a short-term option, Jones is straight-up balling for Houston so far in 2014-15. The key question mark is consistency: Can he keep it up on a nightly basis?
The Bench Is...Not so Good
5 of 5
When the Rockets lost some key guys this summer, the bench depth took a huge hit. The starting five is the same, replacing Ariza for Parsons, but Lin's and Asik's production off the bench were never directly replaced.
The subs are averaging under 24 points a night for the Rockets out of their 105-point average. That stat line would have been good for dead last in the NBA last season. The starters are doing the majority of the workload, which is fine early on but will pay its toll later in the season.
Veteran guard Jason Terry has led the way so far for the second unit, averaging about eight points per game. The 37-year-old has been able to get in games and hit some threes, like he's done for the past 15 seasons. The rest of the reserves have been very inconsistent, among them Donatas Motiejunas, Kostas Papanikolau, Isaiah Canaan and more.
Papanikolau had a terrific game in Utah but has been relatively quiet in the other games, still trying to adjust to NBA gameplay. D-Mo has just looked lost out there so far, which is disappointing after his encouraging summer league and preseason performances. Same goes for Canaan, who actually got the start when Beverley missed time with a sore hamstring. The only other backup who's seen meaningful playing time has been Tarik Black, who isn't much of a scorer and actually got hurt in the November 1 game against the Boston Celtics.
The biggest knock against the Rockets by the experts is their lack of depth. Can these guys come up big when it matters most toward the end of the season and in the playoffs, or will Morey have to do some shuffling around?
At the end of the preseason, Morey made some interesting cuts to the roster. He decided to hold on to the youngsters with potential and let a couple of reliable role players like Ish Smith and Jeff Adrien go. Morey is always trying to make the team better, even if that means holding on to less talented players with more upside. That strategy may come back to haunt this Rockets team at times, like on the second night of back-to-backs, until they get a third star.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
