Not breaking a sweat
Shumpert’s skills should translate to easy transition
A bedraggled Daryl Morey appeared at Rockets practice Friday in a black hoodie, with his wispy hair frayed in all directions and a graying beard he plans to grow until James Harden’s streak of 30-plus-point games ends.
The maelstrom of 18 trades and nearly 60 players shuffled around the NBA in the 48 hours that led up to Thursday’s trade deadline left the Rockets’ general manager looking like he had emerged from a bunker.
“I have,” he said.
He had slept from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday nights in order to acquire Iman Shumpert from the Kings as the Rockets’ biggest deadline addition Thursday. Morey revealed he had been hunting Shumpert two summers ago, but signed P.J. Tucker instead.
“Now we’ve got both,” Morey said with a chuckle. “Their ability to defend, make 3s and make smart plays all game, that’s what you get with experience in the big games, which is what we’re focused on. (They)
don’t make mistakes.”
In Shumpert, the Rockets have an athletic, ball-handling, corner-3-drilling, defensive-minded, NBA Finals-tested wing capable of bodying up any opposing player under 7 feet. Just like with Austin Rivers and Kenneth Faried, veterans the Rockets signed as buyout opportunities in the previous months, the team expects Shumpert will make an impact without needing much time to adjust.
“Someone that coach could plug in,” Morey said. “We love how he can switch. He plays bigger guys, smaller guys. That’s important to how we’re going to play in the playoffs.”
As Morey got accustomed to sunlight, Shumpert flashed a gleaming smile on his first day as a Rocket. He was happy to reunite with coach Mike D’Antoni, who had drafted him to the Knicks in 2011.
“He’s always been rooting for me no matter what team I’ve been on,” Shumpert said. “To reunite, we’re chasing the same thing we started out chasing.”
Championship pedigree
Including his rookie season, Shumpert has played in 71 playoff games. He averaged 23 minutes and 36.6 percent on 3s in three consecutive Finals appearances with the Cavaliers, including their 2015-2016 championship run. The Rockets are his fourth team and D’Antoni his sixth coach in eight seasons.
“When (the Kings) first told me I got traded that was one of the first things I thought: ‘Damn, a new coach.’ Then they was like, ‘You’re gong to Houston.’ At least I know Mike a little bit,” he said. “I’ve had quite a few coaches.”
In addition to Shumpert’s versatile strength as an on-ball irritant (“I’ve guarded pretty much everyone in the league at this point,” he said), the Rockets expect Shumpert’s experience playing with stars such as LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Carmelo Anthony will be why he flourishes in an offense spurred by James Harden.
“When he has played next to a great player — like obviously he will here — like a LeBron, he’s been one of the top, top guys in the league,” Morey said. “He just fits so perfectly with those top players.”
Shumpert explained: “When you’ve got those guys that we consider superstars, a lot of people lose their identity. You’ve just got to understand the game and learn how to complement it.”
He has developed into a reliable 3point shooter: 36.6 percent overall, 35 percent in transition, 46.4 percent from the right corner and 36.4 percent from the left. He is shooting 39.1 percent on 3.6 catch-and-shoot 3s attempts per game, which is the second-best percentage on the Rockets, behind Chris Paul’s 44.8 percent.
He also is among NBA leaders in screen assists at guard, making him an ideal pairing with Harden or Paul on plays he could set a screen and pop out for a 3.
“He can really shoot,” Morey said, “especially shoot open shots, which he’ll get a lot of here.”
Morey revealed his superstitions when he mentioned Shumpert’s injury history.
“Where’s the wood?” Morey said, finding none nearby. “He’s been very good on the injury front. Knocking, virtually.” In a week that floated Anthony Davis as available for trades, adding Shumpert to the Rockets (32-22) did not send tremors through the Western Conference, but starting with the Thunder (35-19) on Saturday, D’Antoni will have 28 games to toy around with a mix of high-quality perimeter defenders unlike any the Rockets have had since Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute thrived last season.
The trio of Shumpert, Paul and Rivers — with a helping hand from Tucker — should be pesky against Paul George and Russell Westbrook. Shumpert has handled George and Westbrook well at times, but the Thunder’s 6-7, 20-year-old guard Terrance Ferguson has thwarted Shumpert this season with nine points on eight possession matchups.
“Golden State is the class of the West again,” Morey said. “They’re not winning 72 games like they had in the past, but they’re the champs and the best team. The rest of us are chasing them.
“We’re going to see OKC tomorrow. It’s a big game for us, but we feel like after Golden State, we can compete with all those teams. With all these moves we’ll be positioned to be their toughest opponent.”
Precious metal
Shumpert would not go so far as to declare the Rockets a favorite for the title, but he expressed confidence he could help “get them over the hump.”
“This team is trying to take the next step, capture the flag so to speak,” he said. “It’s always good to earn your jewelry instead of buying it.”