Houston Rockets: 5 Keys To Saving The Season

Jan 4, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jason Terry (31) reacts after drawing a foul in the final second of the game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Houston Rockets defeated the Utah Jazz 93-91. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /

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Nov 30, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Houston Rockets guard Ty Lawson (3) dribbles the ball during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 116-105. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

The Ty Lawson Experiment Has Failed

The Rockets made a low-cost investment in Ty Lawson, acquiring him for fringe NBA players and draft picks from the Denver Nuggets, but it’s gone badly. So badly, in fact, that it’s time to give up on the experiment, and we’re not even at the All-Star break yet.

Lawson was just suspended for three games, starting on Thursday in a 103-94 win against the Jazz, and it’s his second suspension since the middle of December. He’s lost five games over that period, and he still faces sentencing from the court for his DUIs on Jan. 14.

His poor play may be due to stress from legal issues stemming from the DUIs, but the Rockets have invested enough in Lawson. It’s unlikely that the Rockets will be able to trade him for anything of consequence because demand for him has cratered due to his incredibly poor play, so it may be time to simply bury him on the bench.

So far this season Lawson is averaging 6.4 points and 4.3 assists per game in 25 minutes, and has shooting splits of .371/.313/.702. All of these numbers are career lows, aside from the assists, as in his rookie season he had 3.1 assists per game.

Lawson hasn’t started a game since McHale was fired 11 games into the season, coming off the bench and occasionally getting DNP-ed by Bickerstaff, so the writing is certainly on the wall.

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