No worries
The Rockets are confident they will fix defensive issues.
As much as the Rockets would prefer to not consider what to take from a rocky start to the season, they said the question is not whether to be driven to make improvements or relieved to be 5-3, anyway. They said they can rightly feel both.
“I think it’s encouraging,” Rockets guard Austin Rivers said. “We haven’t played nearly our best basketball and we’re still 5-3. The fact that we’re playing like 40 percent of our capability and we’re still 5-3 I think says a lot about how talented we really are.
“Imagine if we were defending, if we were like a top five defensive team right now, we’d probably be 8-0. We got to continue to work on that. That’s kind of what the emphasis has been on. Film has mostly been on defense. Practice has mostly been on defense. We’re definitely aware and focusing on it. We’re definitely capable of it. We just have to do it.”
The Rockets rank 28th defensively, allowing 113.1 points per 100 possessions. They were 22nd through eight games last season, allowing 111.4 points per 100 possessions. They were the second-ranked defensive team after the All-Star break, finishing 17th overall.
“We’re nowhere where we should be or need to be,” Rockets guard Eric Gordon said. “Being here for four years, I know how this team can be. We just got to get to that point. With us being together this long, we should never be in droughts like this. We always know we want to get off to good starts and we just haven’t done that. But we know at the end of the year we’re going to be fine.”
The Rockets have sought to make those strides though video work and improved conditioning. Starting the week with a back-to-back, Friday’s workout was their only practice this week. They don’t practice again until Tuesday.
“We’re OK. Obviously, we have a lot of improvement to do, especially on the defensive end,” Rockets guard James Harden said. “I think our spirits are in a good place. We want to get better. We’re learning. That’s a part of this process. It’s a long season. We have to continue to grow.
“We’re not concerned at all. We had leads in two out of the three (losses). Our schedule could be a little bit better. But we’re not worried. We have to continue to keep working.”
Playing shape, playing time
Rockets’ starting forwards P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. played nearly 40 minutes on Wednesday with center Clint Capela playing a season-high 36. But Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said there is a limit to how much they will play.
“I’m not playing them over 40,” he joked. But he said the extended playing time for Tucker and House was in part because Eric Gordon was out. Capela played eight more minutes than he has averaged this season to work on his conditioning.
“It was one game without Eric, for sure,” D’Antoni said. “Clint, you noticed played the last three minutes of the game (after the other starters were removed.) I told him, ‘You’re in the game because you have to get in shape.’
“We don’t practice hard. I’m a big believer in we got to get them in shape. One way to get them in shape is to play in the game because they want to play hard. In practice, they might not be going 100 percent. You really don’t get in NBA shape unless you’re playing as hard as you can play. Early in the year, we try to extend guys’ minutes a bit so they can get in shape.”
Capela is averaging 28 minutes per game this season. James Harden ranks 10th in minutes per game, averaging 35.3. He is the only Rockets player in the top 20.
Capela, House and Tucker all had their season-high scoring games with Capela getting a season-best 16 rebounds and six blocked shots.
“We did it for Clint more,” D’Antoni said of increasing playing time on Wednesday. “With the other guys, we were more trying to win the game.”