USA TODAY International Edition
Rockets go small
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has a distinct vision of how basketball should be played in today’s NBA – lots of 3- pointers, shots at the rim and free throws, and not much in between.
Of the Rockets’ 4,572 field goal attempts this season, 2,192 are 3s and 1,903 are at the rim, according to NBA. com/ stats shot charts. That’s Morey’s influence not only on the Rockets but the NBA in general.
It is a formula – led by offensive force James Harden – that has generated regular- season success and some playoff success for Houston, but it has not resulted in a Western Conference championship and spot in the NBA Finals.
In a massive four- team, 12- player trade Tuesday involving the Rockets, the Timberwolves, the Nuggets and the Hawks, Morey pushed his chips to the middle of the table on his small- ball philosophy, acquiring 3- and- D specialist Robert Covington from the Timberwolves and sending center Clint Capela
to the Hawks.
In a calculated gamble, Morey – who rarely lets a trade deadline pass without a deal – concluded the Rockets can’t beat teams with length and strength in the low post in a seven- game playoff series. Teams like the Jazz ( Rudy Gobert), the Nuggets ( Nikola Jokic) and the Lakers ( Dwight Howard, JaVale McGee) would have the upper hand.
He determined the Rockets have to win with skilled perimeter specialists surrounding Harden and Russell Westbrook.
Covington was one of the prized players in the trade market ahead of Thursday’s 3 p. m. ET trade deadline. Morey relied on his former co- worker, Minnesota president of basketball operations and former Rockets front office executive Gersson Rosas, to execute this deal. Relationships matter.
Covington is a defender who can space the floor with his 3- point shooting and doesn’t require the ball in his hands, which is a fit alongside ball- dominant Harden and Westbrook. Covington is also on a reasonable, team- friendly contract that will pay him $ 12.1 million next season and $ 12.9 million in 202122.
As talented as Capela is – 13. 9 points, 13.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks per game – he wasn’t the player who could help the Rockets win the West. The Rockets are 10- 1 without Capela and have better offensive and defensive ratings with Capela on the bench.
In Houston’s 117- 109 victory over New Orleans on Sunday and its 128- 121 victory over Dallas on Friday, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni used eight players – none of whom are taller than 6- 6. P. J. Tucker at 6- 5 played center.
It was the first time a team played a game without using a player taller than 6- 6 since the Knicks did against the Bulls on Jan. 31, 1963, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
In that Rockets- Pelicans game, the Rockets took 105 shots – 51 of them 3pointers and 45 at the rim. Just nine were considered mid- range. They also made 19 of 22 foul shots. Houston leads the league in 3- point attempts per game ( 43.8) and free throw attempts per game ( 26.6).
So that’s the formula the Rockets will use to win the West: 3s, shots at the rim and free throws. It has its disadvantages on defense and with rebounding but has its advantages on offense where the Rockets rank No. 3 at 113.5 points per 100 possessions.
Going into Wednesday’s games, the Rockets were 32- 18 and in fifth place in the West, closer to seventh- place Oklahoma City than they were third- place Denver. They needed to do something and might make another deal before the deadline.
Given Houston’s small- ball success with Capela, maybe it passes Utah and even Denver in the standings in the remaining 30 games.
Will it be enough to get the Rockets to the conference finals and beyond? That’s the risk Morey took, and there’s a lot riding on it.