[The Atheltic/Amick] The Rockets and their ‘Horrible’ Defense

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4. The Rockets and their ‘Horrible’ Defense
Chris Paul and his always-outspoken ways might be gone from Houston, but that doesn’t mean the creative tension that might define these Rockets yet again went to Oklahoma City with him in that trade for Russell Westbrook last summer.

This dynamic group has spent much of these past few seasons trying to master the art of balance, with a James Harden/Mike D’Antoni-led offense that has been historically good and a Jekyll and Hyde defense that is succumbing to its inner demons at the moment. After a rocky summer in which their prickly inner dynamics were revealed to the outside world and certainly played a part in the Westbrook move, sources say that a familiar debate – how much they focus on offense vs. the need to take more of a prideful approach to defense – has been a point of early frustration among the players yet again and a topic of great focus.

Simply put, you can’t contend for a title if you only choose to play one end of the floor. And while it’s early, it’s also really, really, ugly: Houston is ranked 28th in defensive rating (113.6 points allowed per 100 possessions), a steep decline from its 17th ranking last season (110.1) and a sky dive from the seventh ranking in 2017-18 (105.7).

But even that doesn’t really tell you how bad the Rockets’ defense has been. The old-school approach to statistics – points allowed per game – should do the trick: 117 (Milwaukee; a loss), 123 (New Orleans; a win), 112 (Oklahoma City; win), 158 (Washington; win, franchise record for points allowed), 123 (Brooklyn; loss), Miami (129; loss), Memphis (100; loss without Westbrook).

For the sake of specifics, let’s pass the microphone to a scout who has seen the Rockets in person multiple times this season.

“There is no accountability,” the scout told The Athletic. “They switch everything (which has been the case for years now), and so there’s no (sense of) ‘Ok, I’m going to fight (through screens) and try to really get back in front.’ No, they just switch. They stare at the ball. They get beat backdoor so many times. James (Harden) takes a bad shot, and he jogs back. The two (good) defenders they have can’t guard everybody. P.J. (Tucker) can’t guard everybody. And Austin (Rivers), who can guard at times, can’t guard everybody. They’re just horrible defensively. They get beat off the dribble so easily. (Center) Clint Capela is pretty good protecting the rim, but they switch and he’s caught on a guard so much of the time and the guard goes right by him.”

As this scout sees it, switching out Paul with Westbrook isn’t the answer on that end either.

“I don’t think he has any impact defensively,” he said of Westbrook. “His only impact defensively is as a rebounder, where he’s terrific. We all know that. But he’s a gamble defender. He’s another guy who switches easily. I’m telling you, their off-ball and their weakside defense is awful. …They just shoot so careless, and the turnovers and the bad shots. I don’t know, man. I don’t know if I see this thing getting fixed. Now those two guys coming at you with a full head of steam, that’s a problem, with Russ and James. That’s a problem. When they’re making 3s, they’re ridiculous. But they’re not going to win in the playoffs.”

It can’t help that the Rockets parted ways with Jeff Bzdelik back in mid-May, when their former defensive guru/Rockets associate head coach was let go before joining Alvin Gentry’s staff in New Orleans. Then again, this isn’t all that different from what happened last season. During the Rockets’ 11-14 start to the 2018-19 campaign, they were 25th in defensive rating (112.2 points allowed per 100). From that point on, they went 42-15 and were the league’s 11th-best defensive team (before finishing 17th).

As general Daryl Morey told our Rockets beat writer, Kelly Iko, on Sunday, he’s still bullish on what they’ll become defensively – early evidence be damned.

“I have a lot of confidence that we’re going to be one of the top 10 defensive teams by the end of the year,” Morey said before the loss to the Heat.