3-pointers not falling for Rockets during four-game skid.
Amid four-game skid and injuries, Silas wants to see team attack rim
The Rockets could consider tweaks, adjustments or improvements to their offense that could turn things around. But there is something that could help even more.
When shooting wideopen 3-pointers, they need more of them to go in.
As elementary as that seems, that is not always the solution teams should seek. There often are reasons opponents leave shooters open.
That has not, however, been the case with the Rockets in their four-game losing streak with the same shooters shooting the same shots as when they were winning.
Actually, there might be one difference in the sort of shots the Rockets have been taking.
“They’ve probably been better,” guard Sterling Brown said. “We just haven’t been knocking them down. That’s all we got to do. We’re missing them lately. I’ve been missing way too many. That’s going to change. Just got to stick with it.”
The difference, besides that they are now missing those shots, is that since the Rockets began their slide, they are getting more of the shots they want most and attempting more of those shots than any team in the NBA.
In the Rockets’ fourgame losing streak, they have attempted a leaguehigh average of 24.5 wideopen 3-pointers per game. They have made just 28.6 percent of those shots with the closest defender six or more feet away.
Before the losing streak, the Rockets had taken an average of 19.4 wide-open 3-pointers per game. They made 40.3 percent.
As much as they would like to turn around an offense that has ranked last in the NBA over the past four games, it will be difficult to get better shots than the ones they are missing or to get more of them.
That could be even more difficult in the new two games against the Knicks and 76ers, two of the other teams ranked in the top five defensively. The Knicks allow 43.5 percent shooting and 32.2 percent 3-point shooting, the best field goal percentage defense in the NBA.
“I don’t worry,” Brown said. “We’re getting great shots, we’re getting wideopen looks. We’re just missing them. Can’t ask for anything better than that. We got to keep doing what we’re doing. We’re going to start making them. We’re not worried about that.”
That will be further complicated by the injury to guard Victor Oladipo, who has struggled with his shot, making just 27.6 percent of his 3-pointers in his past five games but who can score off the dribble and create for others.
With center Christian Wood out throughout the four-game losing streak, the Rockets have gotten little going to the rim, averaging 42.5 points in the paint per game. They had been averaging 47.8. Without the scoring inside, the Rockets have been taking more 3s than any team in the league since Wood has been out.
“If you’re getting open 3s, those are pretty good,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “The fact that we’re creating those 3s for our teammates makes it even better. The adjustment would be to attack to finish.
“Teams are helping against us and forcing us to kick to shooters. We did a good job of driving, kicking and as they’re closing out, driving the closeout. Any time you can force a closeout situation is good for our offense. Attacking those closeouts instead of shooting, maybe we get an even better shot.”
That’s the general idea but without the rim-running the Rockets had been getting from Wood (along with his 42.1 percent 3point shooting,) they want more ball movement. The goal to turn defense to offense, a key to their sixgame winning streak, remains and should be possible even with their shorthanded lineup.
“We want to do our best to get the ball from side-toside,” Silas said. “What I was showing the team (Friday) is when we’re playing with better pace and getting the ball up the floor quickly, we don’t necessarily need play calls. We don’t need kind of actions to get ball from side-toside. If we get it up the floor quickly, then we can flow into our pace offense which would be pass ahead, get into our driveand-kicks, get the ball moving quickly, get to the next action.”
“We shot a ton of 3s (Thursday) night. We shot 50 3s and only made 15 of them. But watching the film last night, I was pretty happy with most of the 3s we shot. There were a few we forced.”
The Rockets made 30 percent of their 3-pointers against the Heat. They made 30.4 percent when open or wide open.
A few more easy shots wouldn’t hurt. But eventually, they need to make the easy shots they are already getting.