Houston Rockets: Preseason Review

By jasaad | Oct 12, 2014

Oct 7, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) is fouled by Dallas Mavericks guard Monta Ellis (11) as center Tyson Chandler (6) defends at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

Last season, the Houston Rockets were an offensive juggernaut orchestrated by (arguably) the best shooting guard in the league, James Harden. The offense was fueled by players with the ability to not only create plays for themselves, but also for others: Harden, Chandler Parsons, and Jeremy Lin. Despite their loss of two of the three aforementioned players, how has Houston fared so far in the preseason?

If the first two games of preseason are any indication, the Rockets can still light up the scoreboard in a hurry. They’re currently averaging 112 points per contest, which is second in the league. James Harden has shown that he is still a versatile offensive maestro, managing 19 points and three assists in just 22 minutes per game in exhibition games.

More from Houston Rockets

Although the Rockets have run a high-scoring offense, they struggled mightily to take care of the basketball last season. They committed a lofty 16.1 turnovers last season, which was second only to the Philadelphia 76ers, per NBA.com/Stats; however, it’s unlikely that the Rockets take better care of the basketball heading into next season.

Harden committed the second-most turnovers per game in the league last year (3.6), and with an increased role in the offense, it’s likely that his turnover numbers will rise. Meanwhile, Dwight Howard‘s susceptibility to getting stripped in the post is well documented.

The Rockets have coughed the ball up a whopping 26 times per game thus far in the preseason, and it’s nearly impossible for Houston to minimize their mistakes on offense when their two best players tend to gift wrap the basketball to their defenders. Another facet of the game that Houston struggled with last season is knocking down their free throws.

They got to the line profusely thanks to James Harden’s ability to sneakily initiate contact in the lane, and Dwight Howard’s physical style of play; however, many of Houston’s free throw attempts clanked off the rim. They were the third-worst team in free-throw percentage last season, according to NBA.com/Stats.

Needless to say, Howard’s free throw shooting woes singly handedly debilitates the Rockets’ success rate at the free throw line, and Houston converted on only 64 percent of their free throws in the only preseason game that the big man played in.

I wrote here how Howard should look to Blake Griffin — who’s significantly improved his free throw and mid-range shooting since he entered the league — as an example. Perhaps if Howard addressed those particular weaknesses, there wouldn’t even be a debate over who the greatest center in the NBA is; the Rockets would benefit greatly from his enhancement.

The Rockets certainly have their work cut out for them if they wish to contend for a title, and it begins with Houston’s “cornerstones,” Howard and Harden. If the Rockets improve their free throw shooting percentages this season while simultaneously minimizing their mistakes on offense, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them progress in their quest to win a championship.

Home/Houston Rockets