The Houston Rockets are currently on a three-game losing streak. They are dealing with injuries, but are there underlying concerns from these losses?
After their 112-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Christmas, the Houston Rockets have lost three straight games. Two of those losses came to teams under .500, and in all three Houston has given up at least 112 points.
Now, many Rockets fans will chalk the losses up to fatigue and injuries, two things that go hand-in-hand, especially for Houston. With Chris Paul leaving the game against the Los Angeles Lakers last Wednesday and missing the next two losses as Luc Mbah a Moute recovers from a dislocated shoulder, the Rockets have been forced to run an eight-man rotation over the past couple of games.
This has led to a tremendous amount of playing time for several key players, including James Harden, Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon. Harden has averaged 40 minutes per game in the past five games, while Ariza has played at least 41 minutes in six straight games. And while Eric Gordon has been playing well recently (averaging 23.6 points per game while shooting 45.8 percent on 3-pointers), he is playing 36 minutes a game over the past five games, well over his season average.
As we saw in the playoffs last season, the Rockets ran out of gas in the second round, as the team (especially Harden) looked worn out from a heavy minutes load and lack of resting during the 2016-17 regular season. For a team with serious playoff aspirations this season, when Paul and Mbah a Moute return, Mike D’Antoni must find games to rest some of his key rotational players.
Of course, with the two players out now, D’Antoni doesn’t have such a luxury. With Troy Williams also out with an injury, Houston is short of wings behind Ariza and P.J. Tucker. Briante Weber has just cracked the rotation in recent games as a third guard alongside Harden and Gordon. The truth is, Houston is not a very deep team, despite having a very good bench when the team is healthy.
One injury has the potential to significantly wear the Rockets down and force them to play inexperienced players in crucial stretches of games.
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The other concerning aspect of the losing streak (or really the last two weeks) is the team’s defense. Since Mbah a Moute went down with the injury (Dec. 14), the Rockets have the 29th-ranked defense in the league, posting a defensive rating of 112.5. Just for reference, the Sacramento Kings own the worst defensive rating over the entire season at 109.0, so you can get a sense for how bad Houston’s defense has been recently.
Clint Capela missed two of the three games in the losing streak, and that means the Rockets have lacked a true rim protector to defend the rim. That has resulted in more small-ball lineups with Ryan Anderson or P.J. Tucker at center, which can struggle on the glass and of course, defending the rim.
Mbah a Moute and Paul returning should solve a lot of the team’s defensive issues, as they are both quality defenders and will allow other players such as Harden and Ariza to play fewer minutes (and bear less of an offensive load), thereby saving them for the defensive end.
When healthy, the Rockets have shown that they have the potential to be a top-five team on both ends of the floor. While it’s unlikely that the team will be fully healthy for many games this season, what matters is the playoffs and the defensive ability that Houston has.
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So while you can chalk a couple of these losses up to injuries, there are underlying concerns, from the poor defense to the lingering fatigue that will result from high minute totals in recent weeks. Both are certainly things to watch for the Rockets in their upcoming games, especially as they get healthy.