On paper, the Houston Rockets looked like one of few Western Conference elite that might have taken a step back from last year. By losing Chandler Parsons and their failure to acquire a third star around James Harden and Dwight Howard, there was enough to view the offseason as a failure. In coach Kevin McHale's office, there was less worry about personnel and more worry about scheme.
The Rockets built an elite defense without their elite defenders
The Rockets’ two best defenders are injured, yet have the league’s second-best unit and are off to a 14-4 start. How has Kevin McHale’s bunch improved one of its biggest shortcomings?
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After Houston drubbed the previously Western Conference-leading Memphis Grizzlies through three quarters in an eventual 105-96 victory on Wednesday night, it became more clear that McHale's coaching has led to stellar results.
The Rockets are second in the league in defense by allowing 96.3 points per 100 possessions, which is more impressive considering they've jumped out to a 14-4 record without Dwight Howard playing in eight games and without defensive ace Patrick Beverley starting at point guard in 11 more.
How have they done it?
Harden has obviously brought the Team USA experience from this summer and put it toward leading the Rockets, and the addition to Trevor Ariza from Washington has given Houston an ace perimeter defender it lacked last year. But no matter Harden's offensive efficiency or improved focus on defense, what the Rockets did as a team against the Grizzlies was impressive. They've been doing it all year long, and with a blue collar group of players. Alongside Harden in the rotation Wednesday was Jason Terry, a 37-year-old combo guard starting at point, four second-round picks and one undrafted starting center.
The biggest adjustment this season has been the Rockets’ commitment to pressure the ball and then force it toward the sidelines. As our Mike Prada wrote, this was often lacking last year, particularly early in the season. It isn’t this season.
Here, Harden picks up Nick Calathes halfway between the three-point arc and halfcourt, while rookie point guard Nick Johnson forces Mike Conley to catch the ball well above the three-point line. By design, he forces Conley toward the sideline once he makes the catch. Note the ball pressure by both players.
This has been a major factor in Houston allowing teams to shoot under 28 percent from three-point range, the best mark in the league. Opponents are shooting under 43 percent overall, and the disruptive perimeter pressure has also helped the paint defense even with Howard’s shotblocking on ice at different points throughout the season.
Whether it was Harden, Johnson or the aging Terry putting pressure up top, the big men helped back up the guards with smart rotations.
All season long, third-year pro Donatas Motiejunas has arguably been the team's most impressive shot-altering force. On the play below, Motiejunas shows help when Memphis guard Courtney Lee is forced baseline. He recovers when the ball is passed to Gasol. Then, undrafted starting forward Tarik Black, Ariza and Harden react well off an ensuing cut, drive and pass by Tony Allen.
It’s clear what Houston wants to do with all those defensive stands. Ariza’s help on this play -- a rotation noticeably absent for long stretches last season -- leads to a pass breakup, and it’s off to the races. While Memphis shot 51 percent Wednesday, the Rockets forced 19 turnovers, leading to 30 points in the first three quarters. They scored 25 fast break points during that span and 16 came in the backbreaking third quarter.
When the defense is clicking, there’s not much need to manage halfcourt sets, which is important for the limited roster around Harden.
That Houston’s success on the defensive end has come together so quickly despite so many injuries is the most surprising part. Only two lineup combinations have played in more than half of the 18 games for Houston so far, making the defensive cohesiveness even more striking.
The trick moving forward is keeping it up once Howard, Beverley and forward Terrence Jones return from their respective injuries. But McHale's bunch sure is off to a great start, proving pundits that criticized the team's offseason wrong every night.
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