D’Antoni mixing up defensive schemes
If any team would know how and when to use aggressive double teams on shooters it would seem to be the Rockets, who see it employed against James Harden more often this season than NBA coaches have said they have ever seen.
The Rockets, however, prefer the tactic as a change of pace, not wanting to take a chance on getting role players open shots. It was an option on Saturday, however, with the Hawks featuring the explosive Trae Young but making just 31.1 percent of their 3s, tied for last in the NBA.
“There’s two philosophies,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “One is ‘anybody but …’ A lot of coaches use that. Another is stop everybody else and let him get his. I like thinking we can score enough to where one guy can’t kill you. Some guys can. You just have to pick it out.
“Everything is a crap shoot. Other guys make shots that night and let’s say James wasn’t going to make shots that night. You double and other guys (shoot well,) how do you know? I like the old lawyer’s line where you don’t ask a question you don’t know (the answer.) Oh, he handled that really well.’ Then, we shouldn’t have done that.”
The Rockets often seek to switch on screens but have increasingly trapped in pick-androll. Against a player like Young, who went into Saturday’s game averaging 27.9 points per game and making 37.7 percent of his 3s, the idea was to mix up schemes to make it more difficult to attack.
“With people like that, you try to do it sometimes, try to throw them off,” D’Antoni said. “Maybe on pick-and-rolls, maybe just be aggressive. I don’t like it when they know it’s coming every time.
I like to sprinkle it in.”
Young typically sees double teams on pick-and-roll, especially since John Collins was suspended. But the double teams are not similar to what Harden has seen.
“I don’t think they are as extreme as you see with James,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said. “There’s a lot more film on teams throwing double teams, box-andones, things like that. We’ve experienced that type of attention, especially in the pick-androlls. James plays in isolations. Trae plays in pick-and-rolls. How do you double team a guy in an isolation situation? It’s easy in a pick-and-roll.
“I’ve never seen anyone experience the amount of attention that James sees in terms of throwing an extra body at him when he crosses halfcourt, before he crosses halfcourt, when he gets off (the ball), when he gets it back.”
McLemore making most of opportunity
The illness that forced Rockets center Clint Capela to miss Wednesday’s game against the Heat not only also kept him on Saturday against the Hawks, but also spread to Danuel House Jr. Both have been considered day-to-day, but Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said “it is looking a lot better” that they would be back Tuesday in San Antonio.
With House out, Ben McLemore returned to the starting lineup for the fifth time in nine game. In his previous four starts he averaged 15.8 points in 31.1 minutes per game on 42.6 percent shooting, 35.9 percent on 3-pointers. He has averaged 4.9 points in 17 minutes per game.
“I’m not reading into it … at all,” McLemore said of his relative success as a starter. “I just try to play my game, keep it simple, do everything I need to do at a high level to help my team win games. It’s just staying ready, staying the course. Any time my name is getting called, I do the best I can.”
With the Rockets keeping either James Harden or Russell
Westbrook on the floor at all times, McLemore’s role does not differ whether he starts or comes off the bench, making it more difficult to explain the disparity between his play as a starter and reserve. He has started 238 of 387 games in his seven NBA seasons.
“It’s about keeping my game simple, especially with this team,” McLemore said. “I’m trying to do the best I can each and every night and be consistent. Things will shake out for me soon.”