it can definitely get better! I think coach is just tinkering with different line ups, hence playing Anderson and Thabo, but in the fourth we got stops when we needed them, bringing mcclemore to play the 4..... we still need to outscore ppl, but the rotation will be shorter! I think we'll be seeing a lot of the tuckwagon lineup this season, especially against contenders...... Its simple, we make our 3s, we win....we don't and give up too many 3s, we lose.
Can you explain this a little more? Why isn't he the best fit? I thought Clint was supposed to be a good fit for what we're trying to do, with his slender frame and ability to get out and run. I don't know a whole lot about defensive schemes, whether it's Houstons or in general.
i think we have the personnel, tucker, capela and gordon are on that team which won 65 games, they are all very good defenders, we lost ariza and the prince, and if we can get a iggy back to replace the D provided by ariza, and with House providing more offensive punch than the prince, we should be fine, then we also need a good defensive coach, because whatever we currently have is apparently not working
Yeah, it hasn't been horrible... it's been god-awful, beyond horrible. There's no two ways around this. It isn't bad because he's out there running people off the lines. In fact, that'd be actual a VERY SMART idea. Their opponents are shooting 41 threes a game... which ranks 4th in the league on a per game basis right now. They're opponents are shooting those at 40%. Which would rank third in the league. But it's not even that they're not doing that. Harden has been not just bad, but pitiful in multiple phases. (i) In fast break defense, he just doesn't try, unless you consider trying a half-hearted attempt to steal the ball before the opponent crosses half-court. I believe there was a play late last night where someone turned it over (maybe him), and you do see Capela, coming from his basket, at least trying to run down a fast break layup for the opponent. You will literally NEVER see this from Harden. (ii) In individual defense he can't in front of people. this isn't new though. (iii) in rotational defense, which he is in a lot as they are trying to get him away from actually having to guard guards on the perimeter one on one, he's great at sinking into the lane and maybe trying to help, but his situational awareness at that point is horrid. He'll lose players cutting behind him constantly. He doesn't really know if and who he should rotate to if the opponent is driving, driving and kicking, etc. And then if there is a drive and kick, his close out is just sad. As with the transition defense it's a half-hearted attempt to close out and maybe jump as if he's providing some sort of resistance to the then open three. (iv) then culturally and leadership-wise, it's the same old story. Other team scores, often as Harden puts in little effort, and Harden immediately points and gesticulates as if the rest of the team let him down. This isn't a Harden only problem. But he's definitely part of the group leading this charge. His current 119 DRtg is by far the worst of his career, and only better then EG, Rivers, McLemore (who is only getting 7 mpg). The team's overall DRtg is 117. Capela is leading the way at 111. Russ is at 114 - still not great, but meaningfully better than Harden - and it's not because Russ is greatly capable defensively... he just tries. Clint is perfectly suited to be the whipping horse on the team. Because he doesn't dunk every time he's close to the basket, and doesn't actually have much of an offensive repetoire. Sure, he's not a DPOY candidate back there. He still leads the team in DRtg BY FAR. As he did last year. And the year before (relative to regular players). And he was just behind Nene the year before that. His rebounding is slightly down from last year on a per possession basis, but that's ok with Russ proving he's just a great rebounder. It's still very solid. Look, he needs to be way way better. The team also needs a PF with size next to him, and guards that both can't guard the 3 point line, and also can't prevent the opponent from driving past them at ease. Well sure, that's because their system focuses on offensive first, second, third and fourth, and small ball over big ball 10 times out of 10.
Size at the 4 Focus and effort defensively Accountability... Unfortunately... these are all things that mgmt does not place a great deal of weight on.... Morey loves his tweeners... and MDA is only to happy to play undersized - even at detriment to the d... MDA is all about his precious offensive stats - and he puts guys on court to this end - defense be damned... Aint nobody steppin at Harden about nothin - and it takes a team effort - no free passes... D can be improved - I just dont know that we have the leadership to make it happen.. MDA is happy playing small ball and running poor PJ into the ground... instead of giving up a little on the offensive end to shore up the defensive end... We're a team that likes to cut corners... take plays off defensively... not box out... Harden checking out when the ball is not in his hand... play to get a foul and easy free throws instead of a bucket... 'turn it on' when needed instead of consistent effort.... The amount of effort it takes to win a championship is intense... Idk if our team is willing to put in the effort night in and night out... we'll see...
It is fixable if Russ and James decide to put in a professional approach on that side of the ball. DD
Capela and Gordon are really not that good, though not terrible. We were getting elite defense from Chris Paul and Ariza plus Prince off the bench. Not to mention, Tucker is 34 so may be slowing down. Replacing Ariza with House then Paul with Westbrook are huge downgrades defensively. Plus as mentioned it seems like their scheme without bzdelik is bad
If only the salary cap and trade rules didn’t apply to us, we could address every problem we have and build the perfect team! Or we could continue to act like the right coach could make ANY group of players into a top offense AND defense. With accountability and grit and hustle! Some of y’all are crazy.
Currently, the on/off data shows opponent ortg improves slightly when harden is in the game. From 116 to 118. Opponent offense improves A LOT when Westbrook sits. From 111 ortg when Westbrook is in the game to 126 when Westbrook sits. So right now Westbrook looks to be helping the defense. It's early and the usual caveats about lineups and sample size apply or course. Looking at nbawowy: Both on: dtrg is 115.5 Only harden on: 122.5 Only Westbrook on: 111.9 So right now the issue seems to be mostly when Westbrook is sitting, although even when it's just Westbrook and no harden the defense still sucks (112 drtg would be a bottom 10 defense)
We play at a very fast pace, which means defensively we need players that can really run. The pace carries over defensively as well. We need players that can defend in transition and players inside that can switch and defend on the perimeter and in the post. Clint is a better fit than someone like Marc Gasol as he is quicker and more mobile. However even Capela has issues in the switch and can be exposed and he doesn't move as quickly inside as what we would ideally have. He also hurts the offense because he cannot hit 3's and at times takes up room. The Rockets against most opponents want a 5 that is long and agile, that can switch outside and run and most the players that can do that are what in the past would be viewed at really long 3's or athletic 4's. The fit with Capela has looked even clunkier with Westbrook on the team instead of Chris Paul. Are there teams where Capela would be a better fit than someone like Robert Covington or Al Farouq Aminu? Yes there are a handful of them but we can likely trade for someone like Nerlens Noel in those types of situation. The league in general is going towards what the Rockets are doing but not all teams. Length and mobility are really important for the Rockets scheme and philosophy. The Rockets were talking about Hollis - Jefferson right before the season started. He is only 6'7" but he has a 7'2" wingspan and is a good athlete. He would be able to play the 3/4 for the Rockets and even the 5 in short bursts. He isn't a great 3 point shooter but he would help the defense a lot. The Rockets had Ariza play the 4 and 5 a lot a few years ago....... Treveon Graham, Isaac Bonga, Serge Ibaka and Richaun Holmes are all the types of players that would fit what the Rockets are doing. I had someone the other day ask me how we will defend the Lakers if we add glorified wings inside........ and I turned it around, how are the Lakers going to stop the Rockets from running and how are the Lakers going to defend the Rockets 4/5's on the perimeter. Want to beat teams like the Clippers and Bucks? Will need long players that can stay with and defend wings on those teams.
We will just have to agree to disagree. This isn't really any more a Harden issue than it is a Westbrook or Gordon or House issue. At this point they are not executing their switches and are not on the same page and it makes it all a disaster. Capela is a big part of the problem because he does not offer much resistance inside. He needs a bigger 4 next to him to thrive and he does not have that. He does not help spacing as he does not hit 3's. He does not rotate or switch well enough inside and on the perimeter he is exposed. He is the one piece that the Rockets have that they can use to bring in a better fit potentially. The problem isn't effort with Capela. Concerning having guards that can both guard the three point line and prevent penetration, good luck with that. There are very few of those, especially with the modern rules. You are far better to limit it through scheme and mobile players inside with length. With length inside that fits the system and better execution of the scheme, I don't really have many concerns of back court defense. Westbrook, Harden and Gordon all have long wingspans and are athletic to thrive in the defensive system, it is the other spots on the floor where it will be an issue.
compare our personnel to last year. there really isn't much of a difference, given that Paul was slower all year. I mean, Thabo is definitely better than Green on defense. soo....the numbers fwiw: Rockets had the best DRtg in the Western Confernce playoffs last year. And that included defending the best offense in history. And a Top 15 efficient Utah team. And the 2nd best wasn't really even close. Rockets were #5 defense from Feb 1st on Rockets were #10 defense from Jan 1st on Rockets were #26 defense on Dec 1st I'm not giving a theory here. Just thought comparing personnel to last year and our ability to trend up as season went on (despite injuries) might add to discussion, moreso than comparing to our likely unattainable defense of 2017-18
Going back and watching through some of the game and confusion over switches is a big problem. Russ doesn't seem to want to switch and this has led (twice) that I've seen so far to open shots because the other guy switches.
If by size you mean length, then yes. Right now they do not know the system well enough and Westbrook is a major change. I don't know that it is fair to conclude effort or focus is the problem yet. Yeah I don't agree with this conclusion but everyone is entitled to their opinion. Morey loves long players that can defend and move. The problem is that those players are in high demand. He has targeted them in the past. Tall players that are not mobile are worse than shorter players with long wingspans that can move. MDA wants to play good players. Give him good players that are tall and can operate in the system and he will gladly play them. He wants to win...... and the players that fit his system on the offensive end typically fit on the other side of the court too.... long athletes. *eye roll* *double eye roll* PJ Tucker IS the Rockets best defender and the Rockets best post defender. He plays as much as he does largely for defensive purposes. There are no magical 4 defenders that MDA is just letting rot on the bench. That is the NBA....... and isn't anything unique to the Rockets. The issue isn't effort, it is familiarity and personnel driven. If the Rockets manage to add the proper pieces at the 3/4 and 4/5, they will likely compete for a title....... otherwise they will lose in the second round of the playoffs where they will be exploited defensively.
Interesting stuff. We need a bigger sample obviously. I suspect it will clean up a little obviously and probably trend closer to that 115 number. I'm surprised by the "both on" being better than with just Harden on because the eye test tells me differently. I definitely still see some of the same problems that others do with Harden on defense, but they don't go away. Transition defense is just not something we do really well and I don't think we can fix that. It's why making shots is normally our best defense lol.
