Houston Rockets: Who will be the X-factor in resumed season?

The Houston Rockets will face a challenging road ahead when the NBA resumes next month, but which player could be the X-factor to their success?

The 2019-20 NBA season has not gone according to plan for the Houston Rockets, and that was the case before the coronavirus pandemic. When the season halted in March, Houston was in the Western Conference’s 6-seed, lackluster positioning for a team with two MVP winners in the last five seasons.

Although the small-ball experiment proved inconsistent to this point after the transition midseason, some believe Houston could be a dark horse contender when the season resumes. The biggest believer, Houston’s GM Daryl Morey shared his belief that his team can still win it all because of their MVP backcourt in James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

Morey said that he feels pressure to win now, and further detailed his thoughts on First Things First, earlier this week. “Basketball pressure wise, yeah, it’s a lot,” Morey said. “Two of the greatest players ever on our team, we should win this thing.”

Having two MVPs certainly helps Morey’s case, but this team needs more than that to be legitimate contenders. One player on this team that could be the X-factor is former Sixth Man of the Year winner Eric Gordon.

After signing a 4-year $75.6 million contract extension before the season, Gordon took a significant step back this season in terms of contribution. A once lethal threat with the ball in his hands, Gordon averaged 14.5 points per game on 37.0 percent field goal shooting and a vile 31.9 percent from 3-point territory. All of these numbers were among the bottom two worst statistically in his 12 NBA seasons.

What hindered Gordon this season on offense was his inconsistency. For example, Gordon proved he was undoubtedly capable of being that lethal threat offensively as he scored 50 points on 14-22 shooting against the Utah Jazz earlier this season. In the very next game, the guard shot 2-10 from the field and finished with eight points against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Rockets do not need Gordon to come out and score 50 points for them on a nightly basis, but they do need him to score consistently, which he has not done all season. Currently, Gordon is in his only season shooting under 40% from the field in his career. Houston needs a rejuvenated Gordon when play resumes if they want any chance to contend.

The Houston Rockets ranked 23rd in the league in 3-point percentage when the season halted at 34.8 percent. While all of the blame cannot get placed on Gordon’s shoulders, he has proved in the past that he is more than capable of hitting those shots at a high level. For an offense that went all-in on small-ball because of their shooting, the guard needs to step up as that third star.

Hopefully, this hiatus will allow Gordon to start fresh because he was only trending downward before the season halted. In his last six games before the suspension, Gordon averaged 11.2 points per game on 34.4 percent field goal shooting and an abysmal 24.4 percent 3-point shooting.

Gordon had been in and out of the lineup due to injury, so hopefully, this unexpected break could allow him adequate time to get back to full strength. According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, Gordon has also turned his workout routine up a notch, having lost somewhere around 12 pounds in hopes of preventing future injuries.

If this revamped Gordon can come out of the gates firing next month, the Rockets could very well shake up the Western Conference standings. Currently slated as the 6-seed in the West, the upcoming eight seeding games next month could place the Rockets anywhere from the 2-seed to the 7-seed.

Houston has their fair share of problems across the board, and many have already written them off as contenders. However, if the Rockets have any chance of salvaging their season, it starts with Eric Gordon getting back to his old self and producing at a high level offensively.

They certainly have their back up against the wall at the moment, but keep an eye on an injury-free Eric Gordon and the small-ball Rockets next month.

If the guard continues his slump, it could lead to an early exit for the Houston Rockets in this year’s postseason.