This is what you think is the problem? Harden stopped shooting and we started losing and he needs to pass more? Who do you want to be taking these shots?
So a version of the Princeton offense? Silas is more fvcked than I thought then. For one, Princeton Offense is a Motion system so very little set plays (like MDA system) and more concept based. That is going to upset a lot of the more set plays insurgents on CF. Two, every single player on the court must be able to shoot 3, dribble and pass. That fits Silas emphasis on having triple threat players, which he really does not have enough of and these players are all about 6'5. Three, the offense requires patience and high IQ players especially against zone defenses. This means offensive pace will take a huge hit which is a problem considering how many current players have skillset best suited for high pace system (Wall, Wood, Tate, Nwaba, etc.) like scoring in transition and early offense. Four, this system treats every player as near equals because ball should not stick. Very pollyanna attitude but it works best for teams that do not have alpha or historically great ball dominant scorers.
Luka ISOed a lot in Dallas. The ball was constantly in his hands. For some strange reason Silas wants the ball out of Hardens hands a little more which is a terrible decision.
all I see is aimless driving and kicking, and then sprinkle in some PnR with Wood and a bit of isolation play we do not have shooters we are currently tied for 13th in offensive efficiency aside from trying to slow the game down against GS, I see why Morey and MDA decided on full-blown Harden ISO ball the years before when Harden didn’t ISO so much, we only had a top 5 offense 1 year, then under Harden ISO ball, we are historic even tho we lacked offensive talent...this year Harden’s ISO’s are way down, and we are 13th EG, Tate, Nwaba, Tucker, Cousins...any time they’re trying to create, it’s a sad sight and the offense doesn’t flow that well either when Harden isn’t in the game...Wall just dominates the ball instead just 15 assists against the Kings in the game Harden didn’t play, and they were not out there looking like the 02 Kings
Too early. He’s got to slow down just a bit to be able to make a read. Harden’s shifty fast/slow gave the pnr time to develop. Wall still relying too much on his athleticism. Wood/wall just needs to get on the same speed.
Yet Wall and Wood have had more practices and played more games than Harden-Wood. Harden is a top 5 player for a reason. And aside from being a 3 time NBA leading scorer, he has also led League in assists AND led NBA in total steals. The best players should have the most touches. Especially if the chemistry is already as good as it is. Rockets only go so far as Harden-Wood takes them, that is bottom line.
As I was watching last night, I couldn't help but come to the realization that this is the worst offense I've seen from this team in years. I decided not to post anything because all I could come up with was I guess this is what many of you have been clamoring to see. Less Harden and more ball movement. Well, we don't look explosive, our offensive efficiency is middling, and we aren't generating nearly enough 3 point shots. Every possession seems like we are struggling to get a good shot. Lots of guys just running around aimlessly just to get off a mediocre contested shot. Previously, Harden created great shots single-handedly. Fact is we didn't always make them, but we pretty much got what we wanted every time down the court. Now I see far less talented people being put into the position to make the decisions that Harden used to make and I have to say, so far I don't like the results. Maybe it gets better, maybe it doesn't. I hope it does. I think I prefer the "my turn your turn" thing we had with CP3 and Harden when we had two all-time great decision-makers. Maybe it wasn't as pretty, but it sure as hell worked. I don't think I need House, Tate, Nwaba, Tucker, etc. trying to make plays when I can spam John Wall and James Harden over and over. I'm not saying scrap it altogether because there are situations where running some motion would be great, but I want the ball in the hands of my best playmakers the majority of the time.
the reduction in 3 point attempts is glaring...we are 12th in attempts, and the attempts are being replaced with more tragic drives to the rim by limited role players the team still doesn’t shoot midrange, and shooting a bunch of midrange with guys who suck at it isn’t the answer anyways having Harden do less so the scrubs can do more will get bottled up in a playoff series even worse than Harden ISO ball we always have a severe lack of skill on this team...Jeff Green was a breath of fresh air last season the ball movement and passing isn’t even all that different than under MDA so far...we’re still bottom 5 in passes made per game...we’re last in assists per game there’s a bit more cutting, but it’s still not that much...there’s more PnR...there’s a bunch of driving and kicking that does nothing...and we have Harden doing less...other than a significant reduction in 3 point attempts, those are the differences so far 3 point attempts should at least go up along with the team’s percentage when McLemore starts playing, so there’s that to look forward to, and it’s still early with a team that hasn’t had much practice time as a full squad
McLemore's 3P attempts have gone down since he was empowered to drive to basket and shoot mid range. Would not bank on BMac fixing this mess, just saying.
I just want him to receive the ball sometime later in the set. Dribbling down the court, holding the ball and shooting takes too much effort. The game can come easier to Harden if he'll accept some help.
not looking for him to fix anything, just improve 12th in attempts, and 27th in percentage as a team...he’ll at least help in both categories the 3 point attempts are down, but we can’t even say they’re being replaced with better, more efficient shots...at this point, it’s a matter of preference of whether you’d rather see a bricked three or a missed layup...these threes aren’t getting replaced with Kawhi or KD midrange shots or layups from Bron...they’re getting replaced with Cousins post ups and tragic drives, and Nwaba and Tate running around and just throwing sh*t up at the rim
Not liking the results of that tactic thus far. Less Harden dominates ball, then more less talented players dominate the ball. Not equaling W's. Or even more aesthetic looking offense. Which many seem to prefer over winning or Harden dominating ball. It's like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
...but Wall's timing is off because he hasn't played NBA basketball in two years. Clearly he still has some athleticism to explode past players, but what he does when he meets the point to either shoot or pass has been out of sync. It's just going to take getting some reps - it's less about system and more about his personal timing to make a play. ...I would argue there is no chemistry with this team right now - that is the root of the problem and was only exacerbated by Harden missing the preseason "watching his homegirl..." or whatever that bullshit was. New coach, new roster, new system....then we had a cancelled game, covid protocol keeping half the rotation out, starting the season playing a number of playoff level teams, and little injuries along the way. You see it with Silas' rotations - they are all over the place because he is still trying to figure out what works and is having to do it while playing potential playoff teams. This team is only just now getting the minutes and reps as a unit that other teams got in the preseason. It's brutal because it's been a perfect storm that Harden started and the season is shortened so this is effectively a much worse start than the record even indicates but what can you do? We have a rotation of 10 players and 6 of them are new to the team including our 2nd best player, 3rd best player, and possibly 4th best player depending on how you rank the start of the season for Gordon vs the other new players. One final point - I would argue Wall(or even Gordon) is just as critical to Houston's ceiling as Harden and Wood. One of the things that killed us last year is Westbrook's minutes with the 2nd unit - we hemorrhaged points while Harden sat. As much as I like Wood's game, he still requires someone to set him up so I don't think he is the guy who can turn around our 2nd unit production. It's going to take Wall creating offense in the 2nd unit or at least Gordon not to be as terrible as he was last year. Nwaba/Brown/Tate are all solid bench guys(maybe Nwaba can become a true starter) but I don't think any of those guys or Wood can be primary facilitators in the 2nd unit....but at least they are better than what we had last year.
Agree with this. In fairness - as good as D'Antoni's offense was, Silas managed to architect an even more historic offense in Dallas with Luka and Porzingis - I think Harden and Wood are comparable tools but it will require more reps and we essentially lost the benefit of any sort of camp or preseason with the whole team so his ability to implement change is going to require us figuring it out while the games count..in a shortened season where every game counts a little more. I think they will "get there" by the end of the season if Harden puts the effort in, but I do worry that our seeding will suffer and we are at risk of missing the playoffs altogether if Harden 'quits' and wastes precious game reps between now and then.
look at the makeup of the Mavs with Silas tho...it was Luka, Porzingis, and a bunch of role player snipers that could shoot the three at a high level...Luka wasn’t playing next to another guard who needs the ball a ton and can’t really shoot we had a 120 offensive rating the 1st 2 games when Harden and Wood were on the court surrounded by a bunch of high energy scrubs if Silas could just put Harden at full-time PG with Wood at C surrounded by a bunch of guys that can shoot above average from 3 on good volume, we’d likely be looking at the most efficient offense in the league
