With injuries shortening the Houston Rockets’ rotation, Eric Gordon has stepped up in a big way to start the season. How exactly has he helped the team?
The Houston Rockets sure didn’t envision Eric Gordon starting in six of the team’s first eight games and playing 33 minutes per night. They would love to see Gordon return to his sixth man role and come off the bench for around 30 minutes a game, but the injury to Chris Paul has forced Gordon into a primary role in various ways for Houston.
So far this season, Gordon is averaging 23.9 points and 3.3 assists per game, but is shooting just 41.3 percent from the field and 31.9 percent on 3-pointers. Gordon has yet to hit his 3s at an average rate, but considering that he attempts nearly 12 per game, when he eventually does, he could become even more deadly as a secondary scoring option.
Because of the injury to Paul, Gordon has been thrown into the starting lineup alongside James Harden. However, he is filling a similar role to the one Patrick Beverley filled last season in that Gordon will play the first 5-6 minutes of the first and third quarters alongside the starters before leaving the game in order to run the bench unit to start the second (and fourth) quarters.
One key aspect of Gordon’s success so far this season is his newfound aggression when driving to the rim. In the Rockets’ opening night win over the Golden State Warriors, Gordon was able to drive to the rim and finish through contact on numerous occasions, including some explosive dunks we haven’t seen from Gordon in years:
So far this season, the stats backup Gordon’s success at the rim. According to Statmuse, Gordon is shooting 68.4 percent at the rim, well above the league average of 56.5 percent. So while Gordon’s shot has betrayed him so far this season, he is more than making up for it by attacking the basket, which has led to him averaging a career high in scoring so far this season.
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The advanced metrics also highlight that Gordon is having an incredibly valuable season on the offensive end. So far this season, Gordon is posting a career-high 3.5 offensive box plus-minus and win shares per 48 minutes (.119), as well as near career highs in Player Efficiency Rating (18.7) and true shooting percentage (57.7). The season is still young, but those numbers are good signs for Gordon and the Rockets.
Another important aspect of Gordon’s game this season is his playmaking. Due to Paul being out with an injury and the Rockets lacking a quality fourth guard on the roster, Gordon has assumed a secondary ball-handler/creator role on the team and is leading the second units during the second and fourth quarters.
In the game against the Charlotte Hornets, Gordon executed a pick-and-roll with Clint Capela beautifully, dropping off the pass right on time for Capela to get an easy layup:
As Paul continues to sit out with an injury, Gordon will serve as a primary playmaker for the bench units and a secondary creator while playing alongside Harden. Continuing to make smart and effective passes like the one above will be crucial to generate quality offense for the bench unit, something the Rockets have struggled with this season.
In the end, Gordon’s hot start to the season is far from perfect or ideal. The Rockets want (and need) to manage the burden on Gordon both in terms of usage (career high 30.4 usage percentage so far) and minutes played. Plus, Gordon’s shooting has yet to show up for him this season, but when it does, he will be an even more dynamic scorer.
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Ideally, Chris Paul would return in the next week or so and Gordon would return to a sixth man role where he can use his new-found aggression and finishing at the rim to tear up opposing bench units.