This is more than a one-man team
Chris Paul was the first one on the court Tuesday, shooting midrange jumpers and working with John Lucas on footwork.
Clint Capela, Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker trickled out. Then a few others — Gerald Green, Tarik Black, Trevor Ariza.
The Rockets were back on the floor — their five-game losing streak snapped — getting ready for their first game of the new year at Orlando on Wednesday night.
It was business as usual. The players warmed up, many dressed in their Rockets red hoodies to combat the freezing temperatures.
But one player’s absence was felt in the cavernous Toyota Center. James Harden is out for the foreseeable future with a strained hamstring.
He will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Maybe he will be back then. Maybe not.
The Rockets don’t have much time to dwell on losing their star. After Orlando, they host Golden State on Thursday. The schedule won’t get easier or
lighter.
The show must go on. And it must without Harden.
No one is under the delusion that this won’t be a difficult task.
“The man averages 30 points,” Paul said. “We will definitely have to adjust how we play.”
When any team’s star goes down for any amount of time, it typically spells gloom and doom. And when that star is also the league’s leading scorer and the guy the team has leaned on for years, it seems even worse.
As grim as it seems, it’s not that bad. The Rockets are built for this.
In the past, the Rockets weren’t as equipped to deal with injuries as they are now. The additions of Paul, Tucker and the newly acquired Green help immensely with depth.
Paul can run offense
Paul is more than capable of running the offense while Harden is out. He also possesses many of the same strengths as his teammate. Paul is capable of taking over a game, of drawing fouls, of hitting clutch 3-pointers and free throws. In addition, he adds an extra layer with his lockdown defense.
When he was traded to the Rockets over the summer, Paul was meant to add another dimension to the team. And he has.
Unfortunately, he also missed a big chunk of games with an injury of his own. He and Harden haven’t had the time on the court they’d hoped to yet.
“Believe it or not, the point was for us to play together,” Paul joked before Tuesday’s practice.
It’s not ideal, but if they are going through injuries, it is beneficial to the Rockets that they are going through them at different times.
“They can do a lot of the same things,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “It helps to have Chris in place while James is out, even though we’d obviously like to see them together.”
The biggest challenge for the Rockets with Harden out is making up for the points they’ll be missing. Harden averages 32.3 points and 9.1 assists per game.
There’s no way to replace that. There are ways to fill the void, though. It starts with defense. During the Rockets’ 14-game winning streak, they were on the rise defensively. During their five-game skid, they were in a defensive slump.
“Right now, defense is the most important thing,” Tucker said.
Tucker sets tone
Tucker will gladly be the one to preach that through the Rockets’ ranks. He wears his defensive skill set proudly and can’t wait to guard the league’s best. He was brought on to set that tone and has.
The Rockets are still without one of their top defenders, Luc Mbah a Moute, who is recovering from a shoulder injury. He will be evaluated by doctors this week.
“We definitely miss Luc, but right now, with him out too, every person on this team has to pick up on defense,” Tucker said.
Eric Gordon will enter the starting lineup in Harden’s absence. The defending Sixth Man of the Year has started in 16 games this season for the Rockets, so his appearance with the first unit is nothing new.
Green can help
But when Gordon starts, the Rockets do miss him as the spark for the second unit. That problem might be solved now thanks to the signing of Green, a Houston native and NBA veteran. In three games with the team, he’s averaging 9.3 points off the bench.
His minutes will go up, and he is capable of contributing more on offense than he has so far. Green is energetic, athletic and fits in perfectly with the Rockets’ fast-paced offense. He can certainly help compensate for what the Rockets lack without Harden.
Harden’s injury is far from ideal for the Rockets, who needed double overtime at home against the Lakers on Sunday night to snap that five-game skid. They have their work cut out for them for the next two weeks — and possibly longer if Harden needs more time to recover.
But the team is deeper and more talented than it has been in recent memory. The Rockets can win without Harden. And quite frankly, they need to be able to.
No one’s health is guaranteed. If a deep playoff run is in the cards, the Rockets will have to be able to adjust and play with whoever is available. It’s part of the game.
Luckily for them, they are built to withstand a stretch without the NBA’s best player.
And it’s time for them to prove it.