The Houston Rockets are Not What You Think, They are Better

The 3-point line was introduced to the NBA in 1979. Since then, 39 years have passed and 1,074 different teams have played an NBA season. With 21 games to go this year, the Houston Rockets have attempted more 3-pointers than all but six of those teams and have made more than all but five.

They are exactly the team they are advertised to be in this way. They shoot a ton of threes and will continue to shoot at a rapid pace until they cease to be worth more points.

Outside of their long-range romance, they are a much different team than many believe they are or should possibly be.

Because of Mike D’Antoni’s presence, the plethora of threes and massive amounts of points, the Rockets are billed as a fast-paced team. However, this is not necessarily true. In the month of February, a month in which they did not accrue a single loss, the Rockets were the slowest team in the NBA.

This can be attributed to a few things. First off, the Rockets play like no other team. For how forward-thinking they are as an organization, they are using one of the simplest plays in basketball more than anyone: isolations. They have over 150 more possessions in isolation than the team with the second most.

They have two of the best individual creators in the NBA and are utilizing the league’s newfound switch-heavy defensive philosophy in order to get what they believe is the best shot possible. And, it has worked. Chris Paul and James Harden are both destroying the opposition, especially when a big man is unlucky enough to be pulled onto them.

The Rockets defense could also play a part in this slower pace. In February, the Rockets had the third-best defense in the league and currently have the ninth-best defense this season. Their propensity to stall opposing teams possessions and force them to drain much of the shot clock could be affecting their pace.

“We are turning into a defensive team and it is really ticking me off,” D’Antoni jokingly told Def Pen Hoops.

Houston’s length and depth have empowered them to consistently fluster their opponents on the defensive end of the floor. Players like Luc Mbah a Moute and PJ Tucker allow for maximum defensive flexibility, which has proven beneficial for the Rockets.

This slow pace, while inducing net positives for the team, is not necessarily the desired outcome. D’Antoni has preached speed for much of his coaching career and that is unlikely to change any time soon. The more possessions you accumulate, the more chances you have to score.

“We’d like to be a little faster,” D’Antoni said of his team’s slower pace.

D’Antoni wants to play fast and they can certainly thrive when doing so, evidenced in the month of November when they were sixth in pace and won 12 of their 13 games.

Another aspect of the Rockets that is sometimes overstated is there passing. While staggering Harden and Paul allows for 48 minutes of Hall of Fame point guard play, the Rockets do not move the ball that much. As of this moment, they are second to last in total passes made.

The Rockets move the ball with purpose and have a focused idea of the shots they want. There is no need for an excess amount of passes in a possession when you have Harden and Paul getting it to the correct player right away. The positive from their lack of ball movement is they do not turn the ball over that much. They are currently top 10 in turnover percentage.

This is also a very good rebounding team. Clint Capela is obviously the focal point of this rebound consumption but the Rockets often play small. PJ Tucker is an aggressive rebounder while Ryan Anderson launches himself for boards constantly.

The intricacies of this team, and how they stray away from their marketed style of play, is what makes them so effective. They can play fast, they can slow it down; they can pass, but they don’t overpass; they can defend; they can play big, or they can play small. They can do so many things well and beat a team in any way they please.

The mesmerizing talent of James Harden and Chris Paul is the main course for this team but its ability to do nearly everything well is the MasterChef-winning dessert.

No one in NBA circles will publicly claim the Houston Rockets are the best team in basketball, which is why only anonymous and vague hints at it are released. However, Daryl Morey has built a team that possesses the best formula for knocking off the juggernaut in the Bay Area.

The actual Houston Rockets have many differences from the one billed on national television. Differences that make them a championship caliber team. Differences that make them, as Mike D’Antoni explained, “super confident”.