If you have any belief in on/off numbers whatsoever, him and Lawson have been far and away the most detrimental players on the team, and it isn't close. The 2 of them have been very much killing the team with their abysmal play.
Someone on the weak side slides pointlessly to the hoop due to guard penetration and leaves an open corner three. Howard comes over for help defense and the opposing team gets an easy putback because no one else on the team can box out or get a rebound.
Don't forget Howard screaming out "weak side!" and then looking disgusted at whoever just gave up that putback dunk.
People not catching DMo's pass, because they're too lazy to move into open spaces and move constantly without the ball. For real, half of DMo's turnovers come from passes for cutters, except no one is cutting. They're just standing around. Offense, defense. They're just standing there.
I love the way Ariza has been playing. But I am yet to see him make a one drible mid range jumper in his whole tenure in Houston. It must be like a 90% tuen over rate equivalent when he shoots that.
-Resting Harden -Harden's ISO to end the quarter -Beverly/Ariza/Brewer/Smith/Terry camping out at the corner 3 and watching their defender play Free Safety and cheat defense -Josh Smith heat-check five missed threes after he makes one -Everybody leaving only Howard to get the rebound -Switching on pick and roll defense leaving the opponent wide open for a dunk -All the guards giving opponents a free pass to the basket and expecting Dwight to bail them out -Dwight trying to score from the post -Dwight trying to pass out from the post -Harden being too passive in the 1st half -Harden being too aggressive in the 2nd half (I could go on all day)
The play I hate the most is Harden dribles for 23 seconds and throws it to <Insert Player> for a terrible three pointer at the buzzer.
More: -Jones flexing after he made his one good play of the day and not running back on defense. -Lawson making a nice drive and has a nice easy layup but instead he passes it for a bricked three or turnover. -The Rockets having a 3 on 1 break where we could easily just get a layup but instead everyone runs to the three point line where it's a brick
Patrick Beverley floater in the lane? Dwight Howard one-handed pass? Trevor Ariza going off the dribble? James Harden one man zone defense? Terrence Jones post defense?
He does trail the play pretty often. Gets him those open threes on fast breaks, but it also leaves the offense playing 4 on 5 at the start of some plays. Most of the time, they end up kicking it out to him and the play resets.
