Houston Rockets: Weapons in Disguise

Lost in the noise between the Cavaliers and the Warriors both being so dominant, and to a lesser extent the Spurs as well, the Rockets have quietly been racking up wins as of late, going 16-2 since the start of December, leading to an overall record of 27-9, good for 3rd in the Western Conference. This is only compounded by the fact that their point differential is a whopping 7.9 points, quite a difference maker from the 0.1 differential of last year. But this stealthy winning machine has many parts to it, some more prominent than others, but all contributing to the Houston machine.

James Harden has been a key cog of the Rockets success, as not only has he been scoring at the second highest rate of his career (28.6 per game), but he has also emerged as one of the premier passers in the league after being moved to point guard this season. With this change, Harden has more than doubled his career average in assists, but more importantly gets the rest of the offensive players more opportunities to score, and not only help lighten the load on Harden but also force the defense to respect the other players by spreading out, leaving more court for a talented ballhandler like Harden. The extra space is what allows him to be so deadly, as he can either go to the rim either to finish or draw a foul on a drive or take a deep three on a defender after creating space with his exceptional handles. The versatility in his offensive skillset lets him score in so many ways with his immense body control and finesse, to add to his 6'4" frame that makes him that much more of a mismatch against the smaller players that are often on him at the point. His defense admittedly isn't the greatest, but he's not the embarrassment he was last year either, and can hold his own on that side of the floor pretty well without being a liability anymore.

While Harden is great on his own, his supporting cast is what's vaulting the team up higher and higher. One player who stands out in particular is Eric Gordon, a talented but injury-plagued player in years past now put into a sixth man role. In that role, he has been averaging 17.7 points per game on 43% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc. He has excelled as a spot-up shooter, shooting 41% on spot up threes, which make up 45% of all his shots. At the same time, he isn't simply a one trick pony, as he also incorporates pullups and finishing at the rim, making both of them at a respectable percentage (43% and 48%, respectively). This well-rounded offensive game allows him to function as both a primary scorer while Harden takes a rest or becoming a great compliment to Harden while he's on the floor. While Gordon doesn't have the most utility outside of scoring, lacking playmaking or defense, there are much worse players than him when it comes to a spark plug off the bench. 

On the other side of the ball, while the defense isn't the greatest in the NBA, it has been passable,  and with an offense like they have now, passable defense is good enough to secure wins. Patrick Beverley has been doing well in the move to the shooting guard spot, still taking on the toughest perimeter assignment and holding his own quite well in spite of it. Granted, he offers little on the offensive side of things, but the reason why he's there is to lock down the opposition, a task he can accomplish quite well with his quickness and tenacity, despite his slight 6'1" frame. Another player on the Rockets tasked with defending is Montrezl Harrell, another undersized but tenacious defender. His hustle and athleticism are his two greatest attributes, which he uses to get back to the play and force bad shots. He's filling in for the injured Clint Capella, who was a great rim protector and rebounder before going down with a left leg injury that's expected to keep him out for at least two more weeks, but when he was healthy he was a force on the defensive end, making challengers to the rim shoot 6.6% below their normal percentage when facing him closer than 6 feet to the rim. When he does come back, he will be able to make the defense that much better, and he may end up becoming the x-factor that leads to them overtaking the Spurs and Warriors in the race for the trophy.

Houston is an under-the-radar team led by a stellar offense and a great system, and while D'Antoni's teams haven't always met with success, the players he has may be able to get a surprise championship, even against such strong competition. The ultimate dark horse, and one of the few teams that can boast both an MVP candidate and a good supporting cast, the crown may be stolen by the Rockets right under everyone else's noses.