I think the Rockets have one of the best offensive systems in the NBA

I am afraid sir that you are anchored in the past. Moreyball is new, and so you cannot say that it will not succeed Is there anything wrong that a team that decides to play Morey ball? Betting on the best shot selection is not a bad idea. However to admit the obvious there are at least 8 teams with better talent

 

we wont know until it happens, if ever. but i fear that this playstyle overlooks the human element too much. i guess we'll see in the next few years :grin:

 

People who doubt statistical analysis always talk about "human element", the stats describe human behavior, how does that overlook the "human element"? If players suck taking certain shots, that's just an observation of the "human element" IMO. Baseball is so far ahead of Basketball in this respect, but it's good that Morey is starting to catch them up a bit.

 

perhaps i am. as i have said, my concern is that moreyball takes out the human element too much. it basically dictates where you should shoot the ball. i prefer that the players/coaches dictate that. in other words, in the quest for ultimate efficiency, does it backfire and instead limit the talent? pigeonhole them into one playstyle, one way of doing things? this remains to be seen...

 

i dont doubt stats. but i would never put supreme faith in them either. stats are a tool. morey has taken it to an extreme and built the whole team and coaching/strategy around what the numbers say is best. but did he forget that its people who have to execute? and people are notoriously fickle. stats arent.

 

Because they don't have the player(s)...

The Rockets rank first in drives in the paint (drives from at least 20 feet from the basket to an area of 10 feet within the rim not including fast breaks). They average 29 drives a game. Harden is ranked #4 in the NBA at 9 drives per game and the Rockets average 1.51 points per possession when he drives which is best in the league. Lin is ranked #9 with 8.1 drives per game with the Rockets averaging 1.32 points per possession when he drives (which is about the same points per possession when Tony Parker drives in comparison and he drives 10.8 times per game). Zach Lowe has a article on this that goes more in detail.

Having a player like Harden who can get to the rim at will and facilitate and Lin as well (on occasion) doesn't take a genius to tell his players to drive and the other players to stand on the perimeter and jack up 3's. Which is funny because the Rockets run a system similar to Denver and OKC and the Rockets average 28 three point attempts a game and OKC and Denver average 19 and both those teams have better 3 point shooters. The Rockets would be even more efficient if they took a couple of more high percentage shots instead of settling for 3's as much as they do.