Houston Rockets: Young Players Contributing In Team’s Fast Start
The Houston Rockets are 22-9, good for fourth in the Western Conference. James Harden is key, but several others players have stepped up in their hot start.
The Houston Rockets have quietly built themselves back up into a Western Conference power after a 41-41 season.
With a 22-9 record, the Rockets have the fourth best record in the conference, with wins over Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Golden State. With Mike D’Antoni assuming the role of head coach, Houston turned from a fine offensive team to an offensive power.
As a result, James Harden has taken a step forward. After Russell Westbrook, it’s been Harden who requires nightly watching with his ability to orchestrate on the offensive end.
And around him are Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon, two guys who struggled on and off the court in New Orleans. Both have found basketball peace. Anderson is electric in D’Antoni’s offense, knocking down 40 percent of his three-pointers.
Gordon is finally healthy, playing well and flashing the same ball-handling and defensive ability that made him an enticing piece in the Chris Paul trade.
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But the pieces that have shined are Clint Capela, Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell — three young players taking steps forward in a handful of minutes to start the season.
Sam Dekker appears to be the most interesting player to me. After missing the majority of his rookie season with back surgery, Dekker has been one of the interesting players for the Rockets. At 6’9″, Dekker’s ability to space the floor makes him a perfect stretch-4.
He does a bit of everything, too. He doesn’t control a ton of possessions when he’s on the floor, but he’s a consistent shooter (34.7 percent from three), he’s a decent passer — as evidenced by his 15.4 percent assist ratio and 8.7 percent assist rate — and he’s clever in the passing lanes with a steal rate of 1.4 percent. Still room for improvement, but his first 567 minutes in the league have been promising for the Rockets.
The key for Dekker is his defense. He’s not a great defender, but he isn’t a slouch either, capable of at least meeting and contesting players on the perimeter. The Rockets are a better defense with him on the floor, by 2.4 points per 100 possessions. Even if he’s just a role player, Dekker can still space the floor and play both forward positions.
Montrezl Harrell, Houston’s 2015 second round pick, is taking a step forward as a second-year player. He didn’t do anything to stand out much last season, and he’s been very simple in that aspect this season. However, he brings so much energy on the floor, and that often flashes itself on the defensive end.
With a 7’4″ wingspan, Harrell is capable of defending multiple positions. He’s can do a bit of everything on defense, as evidenced by his 1.1 percent steal rate and 3.7 percent block rate. As a result of his active play, Harrell has the Rockets 4.8 points better per 100 possessions on defense when he’s on the floor.
On offense, he’s a garbage man, but in a good way. He’s shooting 74 percent at the rim, often getting his work on cuts and even in some pick and roll work. However, he doesn’t do much away from the rim. Outside of his 4-of-6 shooting from 16-24 feet, Harrell doesn’t have much of an outside game. If he adds even a corner three in his game, he’ll be dangerous. For now, he’s an improving energy guy.
Capela, originally the basis of this piece, suffered an injury, out six weeks with a broken leg. He’ll eventually return to the Rockets, but the loss of Capela is huge for Houston because no one can replicate what he was doing for Houston. After splitting time with Dwight Howard last season, Capela was in the midst of a breakout season, averaging 11.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
The long-term prognosis for Capela is still strong, though. Before the injury, he perfectly meshed in Houston’s gameplan. On offense, he was a rim runner, using Harden’s gravity to get open shots and dunks at the rim. Defensively, Capela was a strong last line of defense, stifling opponents at the rim.
I’m curious to what Houston does at center now that Capela is on the mend. Per 82games.com, Harrell was playing half of his minutes at power forward and center, but since the injury, he is now playing 68 percent of his minutes at center. Between Harrell and Nene, the Rockets could attempt to hold the fort down until Capela returns.
Or, Houston could go out and grab someone like Sacramento’s Willy Cauley-Stein (an early season rumor), but testing out Harrell for a bit before making a move seems like the way to go.
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The Rockets have an established roster with experienced players. Harden, Anderson, Gordon, Patrick Beverley, Trevor Ariza, Nene and Corey Brewer all fit the criteria. However, it’s the youth that has been the most interesting. Of varying degrees, guys like Capela, Dekker, and Harrell have provided value — Capela as a shot blocker and rim runner, Dekker as a stretch-4 and Harrell as an energy guy who can defend multiple positions.