Houston Rockets: Effort Measured By Numbers
By Duncan Smith
The Lineup Isn’t Working
The addition of Ty Lawson to the backcourt was supposed to lighten the load on James Harden‘s shoulders, but it hasn’t worked as planned. Harden is handling the ball no less, with a usage of 33.2 percent, up from last season’s 31.2 percent.
Lawson is averaging 8.9 points and 5.6 assists per game on 33.3 percent shooting, and he has a net rating of minus-22. That stands to reason considering he’s playing 36 minutes per game, and the Rockets have the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA at 106.5, and the fifth-worst net rating in the league at minus-8 points per 100 possessions.
That said, Lawson has the second-worst net rating on the team among players who have played more than 112 minutes so far this season, with only Corey Brewer‘s staggering minus-30 net rating being worse.
You can probably imagine the results when those two share the floor. Oh, the blood. So much blood.
They’ve spent 154 minutes on the floor together, good for 321 possessions. The Rockets are being outscored 115.4 to 89.0 per 100 possessions, and their effective field goal percent is just 41.7, while giving up a 53.9 percent effective field goal rate on defense.
The easy choice is to shift Lawson to the bench and replace him in the starting lineup with Patrick Beverley, but Beverley is currently questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. When he returns, expect the starting lineup to be shuffled and Lawson to come off the bench.
Next: What On Earth Is Wrong With James Harden?