The Houston Rockets needed all 82 games to clinch a playoff spot a year ago, when they didn’t book their position until the final day of the season. It was a disappointing year for a Rockets’ team that finished 41-41 and took a major step backward after reaching the Western Conference Finals the year before. Many people felt that given how far they went the previous year combined with the fact that they added point guard Ty Lawson that they would again be among the best in the West. Instead, they completely flopped.
Houston retooled in the offseason, hiring head coach Mike D’Antoni, and they feel that with some new pieces, their team will be a good fit for his system. It will be interesting to see if the changes were enough as the Houston Rockets look to reestablish themselves as a legitimate power in the in the Western Conference this season.
Offseason Changes
Houston allowed Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Jason Terry and Terrence Jones to walk as free agents without putting up a fight as they turned their focus to players they felt better fit D’Antoni’s system. The Rockets signed Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon with the hope that they could excel under D’Antoni’s offense-first mentality. Then signed Nene to boost their depth up front in place of the departed Howard.
Anderson should help stretch the floor as a quality three-point shooter at the power forward position while Gordon could provide a spark either off the bench or in tandem with James Harden. But make no mistakes about it: these are not game-changing acquisitions. Gordon is often injured and Anderson is a so-so starter.
The main change the Houston Rockets made was at the coaching position. We know what D’Antoni brings to the table and at times it has worked and at times it hasn’t. He had lots of success with the Phoenix Suns over the last decade but then couldn’t make anything of the New York Knicks. The Rockets will now be a run-and-gun team with Harden manning the point guard position. They’ll be among the league leaders in scoring but they figure to be a horrendous defensive team. That has to be a concern as they hope to return to the ranks of the contenders.
Strengths
The D’Antoni experiment should work in theory with Harden, Anderson, Gordon and Trevor Ariza set to get even more touches in their fast paced offense. Harden remains one of the premier pure scorers in the NBA and the hope is that D’Antoni could maximize his potential. Anderson and Ariza should be able to help stretch the floor as three-point shooters and the higher volume could create a more consistent offense in terms of production. Clint Capela showed enough last season to think that he is ready to take over as the starting center on this team and Nene will provide some solid veteran experience coming off the bench.
Weaknesses
This will be D’Antoni’s fifth team since 2008 and none of his four previous stops ended on a high note. The Houston Rockets have gone all-in on the idea that D’Antoni’s offense can maximize this team’s potential and that is certainly a considerable risk. Houston’s starters are solid but the depth behind them isn’t great and it will be interesting to see how players like Montrezl Harrell, Corey Brewer and Patrick Beverley fare in this system. The Rockets were one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA a year ago and there isn’t any reason to expect them to be better in that department.
Outlook
Houston has rolled the dice on D’Antoni as the head coach that will lead this team back to the Western Conference Finals and there are plenty of skeptics that feel that decision was a mistake. Rather than shift gears completely and rebuild, the Houston Rockets doubled down on Harden and an offensive minded game in which they plan on outscoring opponents on a consistent basis. Houston is still talented enough to predict they should be able to make the playoffs once again in 2016-17, but anything more than that would be exceeding expectations.
Prediction: 2nd in Northwest Division; 8th in Western Conference
