The defense has been notably worse for more than a month. Yet at the same time, the offense has gotten better. Is the offensive increase and defensive increase related? Or is it a coincidence that the offense got better and the defense got worse?
Howard has been injured/gimpy, hence the defense has not had an anchor. Offensively, we added depth and had to rely on Black/Dorsey less, so the offense got better.
None of them have good D except Ariza who is long and can last several minutes. Like I said in another thread, there was a stat earlier when the Rockets D was good saying that opponents are just missing wide open shots that they usually make and Rockets were lucky for some part. Which makes sense because this team had better D with Black than Da White which is unexplainable. So perhaps law of averages has caught up and Rockets D has regressed
Mchale specifically said guys were not following defensive plan. Changes because of Smith coming in, starting, then not starting. Incorporating Brewer as well. Playing GS twice, they're avg like 120/game the past month, IIRC
I feel like the Rockets are contesting less shots and not giving the same effort on defense. Earlier in the season, you could see the intensity on defense. They were making sure every single shot the other team took they had to work their ass off for. Now, it seems much more laid back. They aren't contesting shots as hard as they were earlier in the season. Just my observation. (Also... has anybody else noticed that Josh Smith never gets a hand up when the guy he is guarding goes to shoot? He keeps his hands by his side and just lets the guy shoot. Pretty annoying that he doesn't even try to contest.)
I agree that if Howard is injured, he should not play. We were playing better defense when he was out than now. And we are supposed to have added two good defenders in Brewer and Smith. Maybe they are still trying fit? Maybe we didn't play a lot of good offensive teams earlier?
And don't forget Morey claiming 3 elite defenders at their position in Beverley, Ariza & Howard. For 5 good defenders, defense sure does suck.
Harden's defense has really dropped off. Howard has been playing poorly on both ends. Beverly's defense has also really dropped off and he is having trouble staying in front of his man. Perhaps it is his knee, but something isn't right. Brewer is a good defensive disruptor, but isn't a lockdown 1-on-1 defender. I feel like he and Smith have both done well on that end overall, but the rotations, intensity, and focus on defense have been seriously compromised over the past month. The biggest problem of late, though, has been our horrible transition defense. We are just not getting back. I hate to sound like McHale, but guys just aren't working hard enough. When the season started, our defense was a beast. It wasn't just the numbers. It wasn't a mirage. We looked like the Pacers did for stretches last year. Sure, we gave up some open shots like all teams do, but they tended to be to the right shooters in the right places. Perhaps the defensive intensity and effort can't be sustained for an entire season, but we need to solidify the lineup as soon as possible so we can get that effort, commitment, and the rotations down going into the playoffs. I just hope they can hold it together for one more month until that happens.
Neither. Harden does nothing at all for us and we have no depth. Investigations need to be under way on how despite this info we have managed the 5th best record in the league. Some kind of Belichick cheating sorcery is happening.
