How the Houston Rockets have made iso-ball cool again

Despite most teams seeking to deviate away from what is considered to be an old-school style of basketball, the Houston Rockets appear to be embracing it in their own particular way this season.

For over the last several seasons, the Houston Rockets‘ offense has served as the forefathers to a series of trends that could revolutionize the game of basketball. By seeking to emphasize brand new concepts, they’ve done things that many analysts have deemed to be entirely unconventional time and time again throughout the course of the decade.

Under the direction of general manager Daryl Morey, Houston has managed to exploit squads by seeking to run the floor, create layups and letting heaps of 3-pointers fly with the help of Chris Paul and lead star James Harden.

Harden’s game fits perfectly in the system known as Moreyball down in Clutch City, as the player who the analytics guru landed via trade five years ago has now become one of the league’s premier scorers and consensus favorite to win MVP under head coach Mike D’Antoni.

D’Antoni is an offensive tactician who has helped the Rockets build one of the NBA’s best offenses this season by granting his two All-Stars with the freedom to play a style of basketball that many franchises have sought to move away from.

In an era where the majority of the league works hard to create opportunities through countless actions, the Rockets allow both Harden and Paul to establish chances out in isolation, to take advantage of mismatches and triggered switches from opposing teams.

Meanwhile, floor-spacers and shooters such as Trevor Ariza, P.J. Tucker, Ryan Anderson and Luc Mbah a Moute stand around the perimeter and serve as on-court spectators with arguably the best seat in the house.

Over the last 15 games, Houston has played at the third-slowest pace in the league, according to NBA.com. And yet, it has posted a 14-1 record during that time span, as the team with the best record in basketball currently boasts one of the most intimidating attacks the league has ever seen thanks to its dynamic backcourt duo.

Both have done a stellar job of helping the Rockets break down defenses on a nightly basis and played a major factor in helping Houston run a league-low 16.9 miles per game. It’s a level most experts would have never forecast after the Rockets were initially known as one of the league’s top pace-setters. However, the Rockets have proven that slow and steady — combined with playing one-on-one basketball at a productive standard — can help them win the race to capture a championship in 2018.

"“We got a lot of guys who have been in the league for 10-plus years,” Rockets swingman Joe Johnson said told Seerat Sohi of SB Nation earlier this week. “That’s ideal for me. I think it gives the coaching staff a sense of how to work with us, sort of speak, as opposed to having a bunch of young guys, you bring them to practice, you run them, you kill them. We don’t need that.”"

Although isolation basketball in the most universal sense has its limits, Houston’s iso offense could easily rank as one of the most efficient offenses in the game by itself, as Harden and Paul have produced 1.24 and 1.13 points per possession, respectively, within isolation sets. The Rockets have scored a league-high 1.13 points per possession in isolation as a team this season.

To put that into perspective, the Los Angeles Clippers, who rank second behind the Rockets in isolation points this season — have scored 1.01 points per possession on half the frequency, as opposing teams have come nowhere close to performing at the level that Houston has in one-on-one situations, where countless defenses continue to run up against problems in today’s modern-day era of basketball.

When the Rockets grant their opponents the ability to switch, it usually leads to either one of their two primary ball-handlers in Harden or Paul drawing an ideal matchup for themselves out on the perimeter. Oftentimes this is a center getting left alone on an island to defend Harden, who uses his dribble to create space and knock down a triple from long range.

However, Harden does not only seek to attack slew-footed big men, he can also take on guards and wings by himself. Players such as Paul or Eric Gordon will occasionally set screens for the six-time All-Star, to either draw or go to work against players like Wesley Johnson in one-on-one matchups such as these:

This has made a game that many consider to be hero ball look cooler than ever before, as the Rockets continue to coerce opponents into playing their game prior to getting themselves ready for the playoffs.

Next: 2017-18 Week 23 NBA Power Rankings

It’s another trend that many teams around the league might consider catching up on.