The Houston Rockets are 0-2 after a double-overtime loss to the champs on opening night in OKC, and a rather disappointing 115-111 loss to the Detroit Pistons in the Rockets home opener. It’s obviously
early in the season but, should Rockets fans be concerned about this team moving forward? Well, let’s access the negatives and the positives of the first two games and decide when the dust is settled, which is more likely to be a trend.
The Negatives
1. Ball Handling
The Rockets do not have a “traditional point guard” on the roster after losing Fred VanVleet for the season. To be fair, most teams don’t have a “traditional point guard”, as the position has changed significantly over the years. What I should say is the Rockets lack a primary ball handler to get them into their half-court offensive sets. Amen Thompson is the most athletic option, but his assist to turnover ratio is 1:1. Alperen Sengun is one of the few bigs in the league with the ability to bring the ball up the court, but anytime he’s met with pressure things get dicey and the Rockets usually end up with about nine seconds on the shot clock before they have even gotten into their action.
Kevin Durant is an excellent ball handler for his size, but he is 37 and the Rockets don’t want that kind of workload on him, considering his extensive injury history. Reed Sheppard has the ability to be a primary ballhandler, however he seems to not feel very confident in that role. He currently has more turnovers (5) than assists (4) and his answer to being pressured seems to be, throw the ball away or shoot from wherever he is on the court. We have yet to see Aaron Holiday take the court this season, and while not a traditional point guard himself, it would seem prudent to give him a look at least. The truth is there is no definitive answer to this question mark on this team. The Rockets have admitted as much that it is a work in progress. They will have to figure it out with the players on the roster as they have no remaining cap space to add a player. If that is to happen it would have to be via trade, but that can’t happen until after December 15.
2. Defense
My concern for the Rockets defense goes back to the pre-season, and some worrisome trends have continued over the last two games. The Rockets did not guard the three-point line consistently in the pre-season, even with their “defensive lineups” in the game. The Rockets can boast a historically tall starting lineup, but tall isn’t always an advantage. The Rockets have tall players who are athletic and quick… and here comes the caveat… for their size. They slow when teams decide to put smaller and quicker on the floor who are able to penetrate the Rockets zone defense. Of the 16 three-pointers the Pistons hit in Friday’s home opener, 14 of them were assisted. The Pistons overall shot 46.7 percent from the floor including 41 percent from three. The Thunder only shot 25 percent from three in the season opener, but many of those shots were wide open. The Rockets through two games rank 16th in defense giving up 120 points-per-game. We will have to keep a close eye on if this continues.
3. Down the stretch
In the fourth quarter of the Thunder game, execution became an issue once Amen exited the game with cramps. Aside from lack of execution offensively, the Rockets have been outrebounded in critical moments in both games. Rebounding is supposed to be the strength of their big lineup. The Rockets severely outrebounded the Thunder overall in the game, but gave up 12 offensive rebounds, and were out rebounded against the Pistons 61-57, giving up 15 offensive rebounds, and were unable to grab crucial rebounds in the fourth quarter. Combine these factors with some untimely turnovers, missed free-throws, and that’s how you start the season 0-2.
The Positives
Kevin Durant
Wouldn’t you know it? Kevin Durant is a bucket which is exactly what we thought he would be. Averaging 30 points-per-game on 52.9 percent shooting including 42.9 percent from the three-point line and 87.5 percent from the free-throw line. There really is nothing to complain about other than a couple untimely misses from the line. The Rockets could stand to get him the ball more frequently in crunch time, but that’s not really a KD problem. Keep him healthy and as we expected he is the answer to the Rockets need for instant offense.
Free-Throw Shooting
The Rockets have gone to the free-throw 79 times this season and have made 64 of them for 81 percent. It’s not just KD either. Alperen Sengun, who is a career 70 percent free-throw shooter, is 17-of-21 from the line, Amen Thompson is 8-of-12. Even Steven Adams is shooting 5-of-6 for 83 percent. It’s a very small sample size, but this trend will go a long way toward adding some digits to the win column.
Help is on the Way
With the issues on defense, we can’t ignore that the man you signed to replace Dillon Brooks has yet to okay a game this season. Dorian Finny-Smith is the key “3-and-D” player that just could fix the Rockets issues on perimeter defense. When he comes back, a rotation of Finney-Smith, Tari Eason, Josh Okogie, and maybe a sprinkle of Jae’Sean Tate occasionally, should improve the Rockets overall defense.
Time for Panic or Patience?
With the team as constructed being so new, there is definitely room for improvement as far as chemistry is concerned, and that is what Rockets fans should keep in mind before panic sets in. The Rockets don’t need to be playing their best ball in Octoberi. In the Western Conference, making the playoffs is the goal, and with the conference being so stacked, where you seed really doesn’t matter, as was proved by the Rockets first-round exit last season. Whether the Rockets ride out their issues and try to develop Reed Sheppard into a viable option as a ball handler, or they decide a move needs to be made later in the year, there is still much reason for optimism. Ime Udoka has shown he knows how to identify and correct holes in his teams play. What is going well is sustainable, and what isn’t going well is fixable, one way or another. So, let’s hang in there TDS faithful. A lot of season left.
