Houston Rockets: Better Than The Grizzlies?

By Mauricio Putz | Jul 18, 2015

Mar 4, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) attempts to drive the ball past Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) during the game at Toyota Center. The Grizzlies defeated the Rockets 102-100. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Earlier during the week, I tackled an all-important issue regarding the Houston Rockets‘ superiority, or total lack thereof, against the Division rival San Antonio Spurs.

Today, in an effort to try and determine exactly “who’s who” within the powerful Southwest Division, we look at how the Houston Rockets square off against the powerhouse Memphis Grizzlies.

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First and foremost, it seems completely unnecessary to keep beating the dead horse that is the lack of moves made by the Rockets during the ongoing offseason — they’ve done nothing. And we all know it by now. However, it is really important that we try and match them up at least against their division rivals.

Naturally, the Memphis Grizzlies come to mind.

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So far, the Memphis Grizzlies have re-signed Marc Gasol and brought former Dallar Maverick, Boston Celtic and Phoenix Sun Brandan Wright on board. And with Mike Conley, Tony Allen and Zach Randolph under contract, the Memphis Grizzlies have brought back the young core that has turned them into one of the most devastating threats within the Western Conference.

For the past three years, Mike Conley has been one of the league’s most solid point guards by averaging 15.8 points, 5.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game while shooting .478/.369/.834 from the field — which even though is far from “best point-guard in the league” numbers, it is exactly what the Grizzlies need from him on offense.

On defense, even though his career Defensive Rating has decreased dramatically — during his rookie-year he posted a 113 DRtg; 104 in 2014-15 — Conley is still one of the greatest on-ball defenders year-in and year-out. Such a “step back” could be directly tied to his yearly Usage Percentage bump.

Unfortunately for the Houston Rockets, James Harden‘s so-so defensive efforts, and Patrick Beverley‘s defense are no match whatsoever against the Grizzlies’ backcourt — Tony Allen and Mike Conley.

Therefore — as we’ve previously stated — a backcourt reinforcement that could give Harden a breather once in a while is imperative for the Houston Rockets.

Below the rim, the Memphis Grizzlies are tremendous. Even if Dwight Howard were to comeback, for a full season, to his dominant Orlando Magic days, him and Donatas Motiejunas and/or Terrence Jones are no match, at all, against Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.

But again, who is?

Unlike the San Antonio Spurs, the Grizzlies are still young and not planning to hand the keys to their team for a while. With at least four seasons under their belt, the “grit-n-grind” Grizzlies will probably be a bigger issue for the Houston Rockets than the Spurs.

With Josh Smith heading to the Los Angeles Clippers, the 2015-16 Houston Rockets are not exactly adding by subtracting.

As of right now, the Houston Rockets’ season success revolves around James Harden and Dwight Howard stepping up night after night, whereas the Memphis Grizzlies’ success can be delegated, as it should, amongst a collection of “proven” players that could step up for them on any given night.

For the time being, the Houston Rockets are not, by any means, under any kind of pressure, however, if they want to get past the overwhelmingly talented Western Conference for a chance at the NBA title in the next couple of years, a backcourt reinforcement is in order.

Advantage:

#Hobert #Mempis RT @Chris_Broussard: Hobert can def ball, not dissing him pic.twitter.com/gOtAdT9gqW
— Robby Kalland (@RKalland) May 25, 2013

Next: Are The Rockets Better Than The Spurs?

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