Houston Rockets: Biggest strengths and weaknesses for 2017-18

Strength: Playmaking

Last season the Rockets were third in the league in assists per game, mostly due to Harden, who led the league with 11.2 dimes per game. It’s also important to note that when Harden went to the bench the offense still executed at a high level, mostly due to Patrick Beverley‘s improvement as a playmaker and Eric Gordon‘s secondary ball-handling capabilities.

Beverley is now in L.A., but the Rockets’ offense should be even better this season, even when Harden is off the floor.

That is because Houston has two elite, all-time great point guards and Mike D’Antoni has already said that one of them will be on the floor at all times. For 48 minutes the Rockets will have (at least) one of Harden and Paul on the floor running the offense. At this point, Clint Capela is salivating at the number of lobs and dunks he will be getting out of the pick-and-roll.

Paul and Harden are undoubtedly two of the best point guards and playmakers in the league, and their presence on the floor is even more important this season due to the bench players Houston added over the summer.

Players such as Tucker and Mbah a Moute need a good point guard to create open looks for them, preferably in the corners. With at least one of Harden or Paul on the court at all times, the Rockets’ offense should never see a significant drop-off, allowing it to be even better than last season.