Well if you look at the efficiency of the various shots: FTs Shots within 6 feet of the basket 3 point shots Mid range open jumpers... Of course there are sub-categories of the above, but things get messy there. So if you look at Hardens game, he shoots the 3 point shot to get his defender to play him tight. It is very difficult to drive around a defended playing 2 steps off. So the defender plays tight, and Harden drives around him. One dribble and Harden is inside the magic 6 foot perimeter around the basket. This is a high percentage shot, with an excellent chance of shooting free throws. If you look at Harden's shot selection, it is almost ideal.
On the topic of 3 - each the Rockets big 3 are currently ranked #3 in the NBA in one category. Harden in scoring, Asik in rebounds and Lin in steals.
I've seen quite a few people say this, and I honestly have no clue where it comes from. The Rockets have lived and died by the 3 ball for two decades now. We lived and died by our 3s when Rudy T implemented the Hakeem+4 shooters offense. One where Clyde, Maxwell, Barkley, and other mediocre shooters put up a ton of 3s. We lived and died by our 3s when we made Yao the focal point of the offense, where Head, Battier, Rafer, etc. killed the team in the playoffs through their 3-pt clunkers. The Rockets with two of the best big men of the past decades in Hakeem and Yao depended on 3-pt shooters every night on the court. Honestly, 3-point shooting is like a Rockets tradition.
Most team on average shoots 15 attempts a game, we are shooting on average 25. Even Wizards shot 27 times and made 13 last night, you think they'd win, but they lost and still winless. You want tanking, John Wall #1 pick and for many years drafting in the lottery, the team still sucking. Going back to 3 pointers, if they are shooting that many amount of 3s, we will win games, but we will lose more. Unless this is a strategy to loosen the middle, I'm for it. I hope they don't have a habit of jacking 3s later in the season when the middle is wide open for Asik, or Patterson.
