Daryl Morey Says Rockets Could Have the 'Best Offense Ever Put on the Floor'
The Houston Rockets have hit the ground running on the offensive end of the floor, averaging 119.3 points per game (third in the NBA) while scoring 110.2 points per 100 possessions (sixth).
And general manager Daryl Morey believes the Rockets could ultimately boast a legendary offense, as he told Kelly Iko of The Athletic:
"I really think we could be the best offense ever put on the floor. Now we'll see if we can back that up, but our transition has been really good. Obviously, last year, we were one of the best halfcourt teams ever. There have been times where we've combined those two things and looked really good. Sometimes our transition has fallen off, sometimes our half-court (offense). But if we pull it together like I think we can, I think we'll be the best offense in the league and a top-10 defense. That'll be a formula to win the title."
It isn't hard to envision the Rockets being an absolute terror offensively. While James Harden hasn't been efficient to start the season (38.1 percent shooting from the field, 25.3 percent shooting from three), he remains the NBA's most deadly scorer, giving the Rockets 36.6 points per game.
Russell Westbrook has adjusted well to a new offensive scheme, meanwhile, averaging 21.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists. And the supporting cast of Eric Gordon, Clint Capela, Danuel House, P.J. Tucker and Austin Rivers all play their complementary roles well.
So yes, the offense should be elite. But as Morey noted in that interview, "To be a championship-caliber team, you gotta be a top-10 defense." And it's a lot harder imagining the Rockets getting to that place.
After seven games, the Rockets are allowing opponents to shoot 48.9 percent from the field, the worst mark in the league. They are giving up 113.6 points per 100 possessions, the third worst mark in the NBA. And they are allowing 123.1 per game, second worst in basketball.
Team offense generally lags behind team defense early in the season. It isn't a great sign that Houston's defense has yet to consistently show up.
There may be a cap to the team's upside in that regard, as well. The Rockets went from Chris Paul, who led all point guards in defensive real plus-minus last season (2.27), to Westbrook (-0.08), who was 26th at the position. James Harden (0.02) was 21st among point guards. Clint Capela (1.98) was 24th among centers. Eric Gordon (-1.32) ranked a woeful 71st among shooting guards.
In the process, last year's Rockets finished 17th in defensive efficiency (110.1). It's hard to imagine this team being truly elite on the defensive end.
Granted, having a historically great offense—if Houston can reach such lofty heights—would absolutely mitigate some of those concerns. And the Western Conference hasn't been this wide open in a long time. But the 4-3 Rockets are a work in progress, no doubt, and have some major questions to answer before being considered among the NBA's elite this season.
