With James Harden going down with an injury, the Houston Rockets have needed all the help they can get, and Eric Gordon has stepped up his play to help out.
When James Harden went down with a hamstring injury on New Year’s Eve, everyone knew it was time for Chris Paul and Eric Gordon to step up for the Houston Rockets and hold everything together in the (then) MVP frontrunner’s absence. So far, Gordon has held up his end as the backcourt as a complement to Paul.
In the five games Houston has played since Harden went down, Gordon is averaging 23.2 points, 6.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game, and he’s doing this without hitting 3-pointers at an elite rate. He has only connected on 34 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, which is below league-average (though right on par with his season average of 34.3 percent).
Gordon has been much more aggressive without Harden, as he finds himself with the ball in his hands more, allowing him to attack off the dribble and get to the rim. So far this season, Gordon is shooting 67.3 percent on shots within three feet of the rim, and his aggressiveness can open up shots for shooters in the corner and on the wings.
Against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, Gordon was extremely aggressive, often times drawing and-ones by attacking the rim and baiting defenders into the air with clever pump fakes:
What’s been great to see is Gordon’s passing and playmaking during Harden’s absence. Thrusted into being a primary ball-handler when Chris Paul is out of the game, Gordon has responded by having at least six assists in four of the five games Houston has played without Harden.
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Of course, when both Harden and Paul are healthy, at least one of them is always on the floor, thereby marginalizing Gordon as a playmaker. But it sure must be comforting for the Rockets to know Gordon can take over as the creator for stretches of games.
While his 3-point shooting is still well below his career average of 37.6 percent, Gordon is now up to 19.9 points per game, his highest mark since the 2010-11 season (in 2011-12 he averaged 20.6 points per game but only played in nine games).
With Harden likely out at least another week, Gordon will have to remain a consistent offensive option alongside Paul and as the leading man of the bench unit. So far Gordon has shown that he can properly balance looking for his own shot and setting up teammates.
A slight concern for the Rockets might be Gordon’s minutes load, as he has averaged 36 per game over the last 10 contests. Combine that with the highest usage percentage (25.8) Gordon has had in a season since 2012-13 and you get some concerns about wearing him out, which appeared to happen last season.
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However, once Harden and Luc Mbah a Moute come back, Gordon should be able to return to his 30-32 minutes per game role as the sixth man. This stretch has shown the team (and fans) that Gordon can be a reliable second option on offense for a stretch of games, but come playoff time, the Rockets need Gordon as a spark plug off the bench supporting Paul and Harden in the backcourt.