Houston Rockets: 5 obstacles to contending in 2017-18
4. Defense
When you thought of the Rockets last season, I can almost guarantee you thought they were a run and gun, 3-point chucking team that doesn’t care about defense. And to a certain extent, you would be right.
However, it is often overlooked that the Rockets actually finished 18th defensively last season with a defensive rating of 106.4. For reference, the Dallas Mavericks finished at 15th (league average) and their defensive rating was 106.3. So in the end ,the Rockets were essentially league average on that end of the floor last season.
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The only problem is that league average won’t cut it for a title contender. Teams that are true contenders (and successful in the playoffs) are top 10 on both sides of the floor, especially defensively.
However, gone are Lou Williams, Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell, who are not known for their defensive prowess. Enter Chris Paul, P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute.
Houston now has several defenders to throw at opposing wings each night. A lineup of Paul-Harden-Trevor Ariza–P.J. Tucker–Luc Mbah a Moute could be the Rockets’ version of the “Death Lineup.” All players in the lineup can shoot and can switch defensively.
Can the new slew of defenders make up for the poor defense you get from James Harden, Ryan Anderson and (to an extent) Eric Gordon? It remains to be seen.
It’s clear that in order to truly compete for a championship, teams must be elite on both ends of the floor. Having a top-three offense and middle-of-the-pack defense simply won’t cut it. That’s why Houston must make the jump into the top 10 defensively.