Ultra Small Ball -- Rethinking Rebounds

By Taylor Pate on February 20, 2020
Follow @taylorlpate

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The Rockets have embraced the Micro USB (Ultra Small Ball) era. With the only remaining centers on the roster being 37-year-old Tyson Chandler (8.4 minutes per game in 26 appearances) and Prodigal Son, Isaiah Hartenstein (recently sent to the G League), the Rockets have taken head coach Mike D’Antoni’s vision and created a reality.

The idea behind this upheaval is that any player on the floor for the Rockets is responsible for being able to guard 1 through 5. The Rockets will implement the switching defense that was so successful with pieces like Luc Mbah a Moute and Trevor Ariza in previous years. With the recent additions of Robert Covington, DeMarre Carroll, and Jeff Green, the Rockets hope to maintain a level of defensive flexibility that translates into offensive freedom.

After being a top-12 rebounding team, largely due to Clint Capela, the Rockets are being out-rebounded by double-digits per game since the trade deadline. How does the team plan to tackle the Rudy Gobert's and Anthony Davis’ of the world? Well, by crashing the boards. With everyone.

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— Taylor Pate (@taylorlpate) February 20, 2020

On this play, the Rockets are playing a hybrid defensive set, involving Box and One and their switching scheme. As Russell Westbrook cuts off Anthony Davis on the way to the goal, Rajon Rondo passes off to LeBron James at the top of the key. Robert Covington maintains his position at the free throw line, eventually leading to a pass to Rajon Rondo in the corner. After a quick closeout, PJ Tucker and the rest of the Rockets are all in the paint and boxing out.

By keeping a ball-hawk on shooters/ball handlers and leaving non-shooters open, the Rockets are enticing teams to have their less-than-stellar shooters put up shots while they lay in wait for rebound opportunities. Obviously this strategy isn't unique to the NBA, but it's even more important for a team with no center to have as many bodies as possible to grab a rebound.

Rockets opponents are also being baited into thinking that they have a mismatch down low. In the next clip, Alex Caruso badly misses Anthony Davis on a roll, but Davis winds up with a mismatch and the ball nonetheless. Eric Gordon plays some sound initial defense and Austin Rivers collapses to help. But again, the Lakers have four players on the perimeter and the Rockets have five players in the paint. A contested Anthony Davis turnaround, even with smaller guys guarding him, is a win for the Rockets defense.

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— Taylor Pate (@taylorlpate) February 20, 2020

Of course, the downside to playing this style is that a defensive lapse is far more devastating for the Rockets. On this play, Thabo Sefolosha and Danuel House Jr. have a miscommunication and both follow the roll man, Daniel Theis. This leads to the WIDEST of wide-open threes. Luckily for the Rockets, Tatum misses this shot. Unfortunately, Ben McLemore tries to contest the shot and the long rebound comes right back to Tatum, so McLemore’s man, Marcus Smart, is left for an open three. McLemore’s close-out on Tatum prevented him from being in position at the free throw line to grab a long rebound (see PJ Tucker in the last clip), which all started with Sefolosha missing the switch.

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— Taylor Pate (@taylorlpate) February 20, 2020

Again, a small error by Covington coupled with Austin Rivers sliding down late leaves the Rockets out of position and James Harden is unable to get in front of Theis. Had Rivers been in position (pause the clip at 4 seconds) when the pass was made to Jaylen Brown on the opposite wing, you would have House boxing out Tatum, which leaves you with Rivers and Harden on either side of Theis. Alternatively, if Covington switches on to Brown sooner, the open three is never there.

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— Taylor Pate (@taylorlpate) February 20, 2020

Sometimes, the bigger squirrel just gets the nut. Grant Williams gets in and takes advantage of the smaller Rivers. Aside from Ben McLemore not crashing the boards, this is otherwise pretty good defense. With a unit sporting Westbrook, Rivers, and McLemore, this kind of rebound is just going to happen sometimes.  

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— Taylor Pate (@taylorlpate) February 20, 2020

At this point, the Micro USB lineup doesn’t have enough time on the court to pull enough data worth analyzing, but finding trends over the next few weeks should provide some clue as to whether or not the Rockets can compete for a title with their revolutionary changes. If the Rockets can remain competitive on the glass, they should find success both for the rest of the regular season and in the playoffs.

Rockets 112, Pelicans 131 - Hit the Ground Stumbling

By Forrest Walker on October 17, 2018
Follow @DUNOTS

The Houston Rockets didn't look like they had anything to prove tonight. They also didn't look like they had a game plan, or chemistry, or NBA-level talent. After waiting months to see these Rockets play in a real regulation game, the collective NBA world was treated not to the 65-win juggernaut they were last season, but something more like the Worst Defense In The League many people expect them to be every season. Now, instead of analyzing how the pieces fit, the only thing left to do is to try to judge whether there's cause for real concern.

Game Preview: Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans

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Following a blowout victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Rockets head to New Orleans to play the Pelicans for the third time this season, leading the season series 2-0. The Rockets are now riding a three game win streak and have won seven of their last ten, sitting at 47-21 and third place in the West. The leader in points, assists and rebounds for the Rockets is James Harden, who produces 28.9 points, 11.3 assists and 8 rebounds per game. On the season the Rockets rank 2nd in offense, 12th in defense, and 3rd in net rating.

The Pelicans have struggled more than many expected after acquiring DeMarcus Cousins, having won just three of their ten games he has appeared in. Now at 27-41 on the season and five and a half games out of the West's final playoff spot, the Pelicans will likely miss out on the postseason for their second straight season. The Pelicans are led in scoring and rebounding by Anthony Davis with 27.9 points and 11.8 rebounds, and in assists by Jrue Holiday, who dishes out 7.8 assists per game. The Pelicans currently rank 27th in offensive rating, 7th in defensive rating, and just 23rd in net rating.

Starting Lineups

The Rockets will likely continue to start James Harden at point guard, Patrick Beverley at shooting guard, Trevor Ariza at small forward, Ryan Anderson at power forward, and Clint Capela at center to start the game, with competing Sixth Man of the Year candidates Eric Gordon and Lou Williams being the first guys off the bench.

After receiving a kick to the side in his last game, center DeMarcus Cousins did not return to the game, and it is unclear if he will be able to play against the Rockets on Friday. Assuming health, the Pelicans will likely start Jrue Holiday at point guard, one of Wayne Seldon and Hollis Thompson at shooting guard, Solomon Hill at small forward, Anthony Davis at power forward, and DeMarcus Cousins at center.

Three Things to Watch

• Firepower – When using Basketball References version of offensive rating, the Rockets are about tied for the highest offensive rating of all time. While many thought the Rockets would be great offensively, the degree to which they've succeeded on that end is mind boggling. Watch to see if the Rockets are able to keep up this high octane offense for the rest of the season.


• Cleaning Up – Going into the All-Star break the Rockets were just 24th in the NBA at taking care of the basketball, but since the break, and the addition of Lou Williams, the Rockets are all the way up at 7th, doing a much better job at avoiding turnovers. Watch to see if this is a fluke or if the Rockets have cleaned up their game, helping increase the efficiency of the Rockets offense.


• Season Series – The Rockets have won both of the two teams' previous match ups in convincing fashion, with the average margin of victory for them being an impressive 26 points. Watch to see if the Rockets keep up their dominance over their Southwest division rivals.

Prediction and Tip-Off

The Rockets are a much better team and the Pelicans may be entering tank mode, with their playoff chances getting smaller and smaller, so this is a game the Rockets should, and likely will, win big.

Tip-off will be at 7:00 P.M. Central Time in New Orleans on Thursday, March 17th. The game will be televised on ROOTSPORTS with the radio broadcast on Sports Talk 790-AM.

Rockets 129, Pelicans 99 - Welcome to Houston, Lou Williams!

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The biggest story of the NBA Trade Deadline (and probably the biggest in the entire NBA since Kevin Durant decided to take his talents to the California Bay) is the recent trade of DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans. In the first game following the All-Star Break, Rockets fans were treated to a game with a lot of intrigue. Not only were the Rockets witness to Cousins’ debut with New Orleans, but the newly acquired Lou Williams made his Rockets debut, and Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon returned to New Orleans for the first time wearing Rockets uniforms – well, aside from Gordon’s victory in the Three-Point contest last Saturday.

The Smoothie King Center was buzzing in anticipation of ‘Boogie’ Cousins’ Pelicans debut, and he responded by hitting the first basket of the game. Neither team could get much going early in the quarter, as there was clear ‘ring rust’ after the All-Star Break. Both teams had six turnovers in the quarter and the game grew pretty sloppy. However, a pair of 8-2 runs and a 10-0 run from the Rockets gave the Rockets a 25-16 lead. Amidst the last run, Lou Williams checked into the game for the first time as a Rocket and immediately drained two corner threes. Former Houston Rocket Omri Casspi scored five straight for New Orleans, which kicked off a 12-5 run that would close the quarter out and cut Houston’s lead to just two (30-28).

After Cousins opened the second quarter with a bucket, the Rockets went on a 7-0 run that saw Sam Dekker, who figures to get more playing time with Corey Brewer’s departure, hit a three-pointer and a weirdly Brewer-esque twisting transition layup.

.@dekker with the nice finish. 👀

That Beard reaction on the bench... 😂 pic.twitter.com/rOKpJxCyF3

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 24, 2017

The second period also saw Donatas Motiejunas check into the game. Fans will remember that D-Mo had a strange and rocky relationship with the Rockets earlier this season. Adding his skillset and professional attitude to the tandem of Cousins and Anthony Davis can be very beneficial in terms of depth for this Pelicans’ frontcourt.

Mike D’Antoni rolled out a lineup in the second period that figures to be a staple for the Rockets going forward – a lineup that featured Gordon, Williams, and Beverley running the offense. This lineup paid immediate dividends as Gordon and Williams ended three straight possessions with wide-open threes. New Orleans’ length defensively became an issue for the Rockets, which kept the game close, but Houston quickly bounced back once James Harden checked back into the game. Montrezl Harrell put in six quick points on tough baskets in the paint (any basket in the paint is tough Cousins and Davis are in position), and the Rockets bench actually outscored the starters with an impressive 40 points as a whole. The Rockets ended the period on a 20-6 run, going into halftime with a 66-50 lead.

Things got extremely physical early in the third quarter, specifically between Cousins and Nene. After a double foul was called for both guys trying to establish position without actually boxing out, Nene came alive with two straight baskets at the rim – including a nice jam coming off a pick-and-roll with Harden. Houston held New Orleans to just eight points in the first nine minutes of the period, building up an insurmountable 32-point lead. The Pelicans made a tiny run to cut the lead to less than 30, but Lou Williams made sure to provide a spark by hitting another wide-open corner three and assisting on a Clint Capela alley-oop. Houston outscored the Pelicans 34-17 and got to 100 points by the end of the period. The game was all but over.

This contest wasn’t really about either team’s superstars, but about debuting and returning players (albeit, DeMarcus Cousins is a superstar). ‘Boogie’ made his Pelicans’ debut to much fanfare and put up really good numbers in an overall really bad game (27 points on 60% shooting, 14 rebounds, five steals, and four blocks). On the flip side, Lou Williams was stellar in his Rockets debut, scoring 27 points on 56% shooting – including hitting seven of his eleven attempts from three. Former Pelicans Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson heard smatterings of boos all night, but weren’t fazed as they scored 19 and 17 points, respectively. Even Omri Casspi scored 12 points!

Houston has now won 41 games this season, which is the same win total as all of last season. The Rockets look to continue winning with this new-look squad when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in Houston on Saturday.

Game Ball

This is a segment of the game recaps that will give the proverbial game ball to a player that proved to be most valuable to the Rockets on a given night. This award won’t necessarily go to the player that puts up the best numbers, but to the player that made the greatest impact on the team – tangible or intangible.

Thursday’s game ball goes to Lou Williams.

NOW THAT’S HOW YOU MAKE AN ENTRANCE!

.@TeamLou23 has 6 three-pointers tonight. He's going to fit in just fine. #Rockets50 pic.twitter.com/oLevsdUYns

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 24, 2017

Despite the trade being finalized and officially announced just six hours or so before tip-off, and without a single practice or shootaround under his belt, Lou Williams shined like an absolute diamond in his Rockets debut. Hitting seven threes and creating offense for himself as well as his teammates is exactly why the Rockets gave up Corey Brewer and a first-round pick to get him. After Thursday there’s no question about his fit within D’Antoni’s offense, specifically with how he can help Eric Gordon run the second unit.

Now, the real question mark revolves around who gets to take home the ‘Sixth Man of the Year’ trophy – Gordon or Williams. Is there a “Seventh Man of the Year” award? Can they share the trophy? Either way, Daryl Morey does it again.

Welcome to Houston, Lou!

Game Preview: Houston Rockets vs. New Orleans Pelicans

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The Rockets are back! After a week off for the all star break the Rockets get ready to face the Pelicans to start off the last stretch of the season. The Rockets are currently 3rd in the West and 40-18 on the season. The Rockets are led in scoring, assists and rebounds by MVP candidate James Harden, at 29.2 points, 11.3 assists, and  8.3 rebounds a game. The Rockets are ranked 2nd in offensive rating, 14th in defensive rating, and 3rd in net rating.

The new look Pelicans (more on that later) come into town at 23-24, and 11th in the West, desperate to close the 2.5 game gap between they and the 8th seeded Nuggets. The Pelicans are led in scoring and rebounding by Anthony Davis, at 27.7 points and 12 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday leads them in assists at 7.5 per game. The Pelicans rank 27th in offensive rating, 8th in defensive rating, and 22nd in net rating.

Starting Lineups

The Rockets are all rested up, and barring any late deadline shakeups, will likely continue start James Harden at point guard, Patrick Beverley at shooting guard, Trevor Ariza at small forward, Ryan Anderson at power forward, and Clint Capela at center, with Eric Gordon getting starter’s minutes.

The trade deadline madness kicked off with the Pelicans snatching superstar center, DeMarcus Cousins, along with Omri Caspi, from the Kings. While Cousins' debut will be made on Thursday, Omri Caspi will be out with a calf injury. The Pelicans will start the game with Jrue Holiday at point guard, E'Twaun Moore at shooting guard, Soloman Hill at small forward, Anthony Davis at power forward, and DeMarcus Cousins at center.

Three Things to Watch

• Goodbye Brewer – To no ones surprise, Morey pulled off a move near the deadline, shipping Brewer and a first rounder away for super sixth man, now seventh man, Lou Williams. Although Lou likely won't be able to make his Rockets debut on Thursday, we will get to see how the rotations change with Brewer gone, or any other pieces Morey moves by Thursday afternoons deadline.
  


• "Fire And Ice" – The Rockets are lucky enough to be the first team to get a close up look at the new super front court of Brow and Boogie, who decided to call themselves Fire and Ice (lame, I know). Watch to see how these two dominate big man mesh together in their first game, and how the Rockets try to stop that deadly combo.


• More Trade Deadline Shenanigans? – Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (if you're not following him on twitter, how dare you: @WojVerticalNBA) reported Wednesday morning that the Rockets are hoping to get another deal done before the deadline, just hours before Thursday's game. Watch to see what names come up in rumors, and if the Rockets are able to make another deal to bolster the roster as they head into the playoffs.

Prediction and Tip-Off

Even with the Pelicans new front court the Rockets are the better team, and have better chemistry than their shaken up opponents. I expect the Rockets to win, and match last seasons win total, at 41.

Tip-off will be at 7:00 P.M. Central Time in New Orleans on Thursday, February 23rd. The game will be televised on ROOTSPORTS with the radio broadcast on Sports Talk 790-AM.

Rockets 122, Pelicans 100 - Rockets break records in ninth straight win

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The Houston Rockets extended their win streak to nine on Friday with a historic win against the New Orleans Pelicans. Houston broke two NBA records with regards to three-point shooting – for attempts in a game (61) and for makes in a game (24).

The Rockets got to work early in this one and essentially put the Pelicans away by halftime. James Harden was, yet again, absolutely masterful with the basketball in his hands, getting anything he wanted on the offensive end of the floor. He made unbelievable passes look easy and made great decisions, leading to his 15^th career triple-double – passing Hakeem Olajuwon to lead the Rockets all-time in that category. He recorded the triple-double at the end of the third quarter, finishing the game with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists.

By halftime, the Rockets were up 72-50. They hit 14 threes in the first half, meaning that, for the second game in a row, Houston would have a good chance of breaking the single-game record of three-pointers made (23). The Pelicans are not a good team, despite the supreme talents of Anthony Davis, but the Rockets were brilliant in the first half, nonetheless. Harden had 16 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, Trevor Ariza had 17 points, Eric Gordon had 13 points, Clint Capela had eight points and eight rebounds, and Patrick Beverley had eight points, six rebounds, and four assists. Everyone got in on the action.

The Rockets came out of halftime flat, missing their first five shot attempts (also, Capela missed two free throws) and allowing the Pelicans to go on an 8-0 run. Interestingly, Anthony Davis started the second half in the locker room with a contusion on his left leg that needed attention. He would return briefly early in the third quarter, but was ultimately shut down for the game.

Beverley would hit a three to end the Rockets drought, and Harden would drain back-to-back triples to give Houston a rhythm it didn’t have to start the third period. Also, as is always the case when the Rockets run flat, Mike D’Antoni subbed in Montrezl Harrell to immediately inject some energy into the team. Montrezl’s hustle and Eric Gordon’s continued hot streak helped the game feel more like the first half. Houston was up by 18 points by the end of the third.

The Pelicans made the game just difficult enough for the Rockets in the fourth quarter, and James Harden had to check back in to close the game out. Good thing he did because he hit a deep pull-up jumper to hit Houston’s 23^rd three of the game (tying Houston’s own record, set in May of 2013). With less than one minute left in the game, Ryan Anderson hit a three to set a new NBA record and Toyota Center erupted in applause. The players must have felt a huge sense of relief, as every three pointer heaved towards the rim was met with anticipation from the crowd. The tension at the end of the game got palpable – the fans REALLY wanted this record.

The Rockets continue to give their fans wins and a fun brand of basketball. Taking the streak to double-digits, however, will be a tough task as the Rockets head to Minnesota to take on the talented Timberwolves (who will be on three days rest).

Game Ball 

This is a segment of the game recaps that will give the proverbial game ball to a player that proved to be most valuable to the Rockets on a given night. This award won’t necessarily go to the player that puts up the best numbers, but to the player that made the greatest impact on the team – tangible or intangible.

Friday’s game ball goes to James Harden.

Several players would make good candidates for this game ball: Eric Gordon scored 29 points and hit seven threes, Patrick Beverley nearly got a triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists, and Trevor Ariza scored 20 points and recorded three steals.

However, James Harden recorded another massive triple-double (and became the Rockets all-time leader in that category) and, perhaps more importantly to the fans at Toyota Center, hit the record tying three-pointer. Harden continues to pad his MVP resume and rack up victories for the Rockets.

This is probably one of the most fun Rockets teams of all time, and watching Harden is a major part of that.

Game Preview: Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans

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After winning their 8th game in a row at the expense of the Kings, the Rockets, sitting at 19-7, get ready to face the New Orleans Pelicans. The Rockets are led in both scoring and assists by James Harden, at 27.6 points and 11.4 assists, and in rebounding by Clint Capela, who pulls in 8 rebounds a game. The Rockets now rank 3rd in offensive rating, 17th in defensive rating, and 6th in net rating.

The Pelicans come into Houston a day after moving to 9-18 in a win over the Pacers. The Pelicans are led in scoring and rebounding by Anthony Davis, at 30.7 points and 11.4 rebounds, and in assists by Tim Frazier, at 6.5 assists. The Pelicans rank 25th in offensive rating, 14th in defensive rating, and 22nd in net rating.

Starting Lineups

The Rockets are likely to continue to start with James Harden at point guard, Patrick Beverley at shooting guard, Trevor Ariza at small forward, Ryan Anderson at power forward, and Clint Capela at center, with Eric Gordon getting starter’s minutes.

The Pelicans continue their tradition of being hit hard by injuries, with Tim Frazier, Dante Cunningham, and Quincy Pondexter likely to miss Friday's game. The Pelicans opened their last game with Jrue Holiday at point guard, rookie Buddy Hield at shooting guard, Solomon Hill at small forward, Anthony Davis at power forward, and Alexia Ajinca at center, with Moore, Galloway, and Terrence Jones playing over 20 minutes off the bench.

Three Things to Watch

• Defense coming through – The Rockets have moved out of the bottom ten defenses recently, due to their great defensive play in December. Over the 8 games the Rockets have played in December they rank 3rd in the NBA in defensive rating. Watch to see if the Rockets continue to put pressure on one of the worst offenses in the NBA.
  


• Revenge game x 2 – Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson are both getting ready to face their old team for the first time. Watch to see if either, or both, step up their game to try and burn their old team.


• Sam Dekker keeps getting better  – After a promising start to the season, Sam Dekker has only gotten better. The near-rookie (only 6 minutes played last season before his injury) is coming off of a career-high, 19 point game, and is shooting 39% from 3 and over 60% true shooting. Watch to see if Sam is able to keep playing at a high level over the remainder of the season.

Prediction and Tip-Off

The Rockets are the hottest team in basketball now, with the longest active win streak in the NBA, and I expect that streak to grow against the struggling Pelicans, as Eric Gordon continues his hot streak and Ryan Anderson finds his way out of his slump.

Tip-off will be at 7:00 P.M. Central Time in Houston on Friday, December 16th. The game will be televised on ROOT sports, with the radio broadcast on Sports Talk 790-AM.

5 Observations from Rockets-Pelicans

The Houston Rockets survived their third preseason game, edging out a 123-117 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in Shanghai, China. The game was up and down, with each team scoring 30 or more in three of four quarters. Anthony Davis picked up his 5th foul in the third quarter and sat out the rest of the game after that. James Harden looked to be an early exit as well, but he and Trevor Ariza checked back into the game with about six minutes left. Mike D'Antoni said he wanted to experiment with late game situations, thus 4 of 5 starters played down the stretch.

Here are five observations from this morning's game:

1. James Harden may be more of an MVP threat than you even thought.

James Harden finished the game with 26 points, 15 assists, and 7 rebounds. Through three quarters, Harden had 11 of those assists. The Beard routinely made difficult passes look incredibly easy. However, he also had 8 turnovers, several of which came from drive-and-dish situations in the paint. Over the course of this season, Harden will get more and more comfortable with his new role and should be able to cut down those numbers. If he converted half of those turnovers into assists, he would be pushing 20 assists. Harden could average a double-double this season, as he currently is averaging 23 points and 12 assists in the preseason.

2. The added scoring of new additions makes life easier for role-players.

Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson have already shown that they are going to light up the scoreboard in this offense. Anderson has been over 50% from three the last two games and Gordon is over 50% overall. Harden, Anderson, and Gordon were all over 20 points in this game, which is something that didn't happen last season. James Harden scored 2376 total points last season. The next closest teammate was Trevor Ariza with 1025 points... The additions of Gordon and Anderson are going to make guys like Ariza go back to their natural roles. You're going to see better defense and rejuvenated energy from the Rockets' role-players because they're not going to be asked to do so much on the offensive end.

3. KJ McDaniels and Corey Brewer are CHAOS.

KJ McDaniels finished this game with 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 20 minutes. While Corey Brewer's stat line wasn't that impressive (4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists), he was all over the court on both ends of the floor and consistently in passing lanes. In his last 2 games, KJ McDaniels shot 7/13 overall, averaging 10 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 21 minutes. Corey Brewer has been a Swiss Army Knife, contributing assists, steals, blocks, and rebounds. Back to point 2, the relieved pressure from Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson has allowed McDaniels and Brewer to play loose and free in a run-and-gun offense.

4. The Rockets' front-court is a committee.

Nene Hilario fouled out of this game in the third quarter with 11 points (on 5/7 shooting) and 5 rebounds in 15 minutes. Clint Capela notched 12 points and 7 rebounds on 6/9 shooting in 20 minutes. Ryan Anderson had 21 points on 7/14 shooting and 5 rebounds in 38 minutes. If you're counting, that adds up to 44 points and 17 rebounds on 18/30 shooting from the Rockets' front court. When you lose a guy like Dwight Howard, who can grab double-digit rebounds nearly every night, you have to make up for it by putting a lot of guys in that do a little bit of everything. This will be the story for the Rockets big men this season. If Donatas Motiejunas doesn't sign, you may see Montrezl Harrell play some meaningful minutes at times. Given Nene's injury history, the depth at the 5 spot could be an issue later in the season.

5. Defense is a legitimate concern.

The Pelicans routinely got out in transition against the Rockets in this game, and when the Rockets did get back, the rim protection was nowhere to be found. Part of this is going to be James Harden getting used to his role as the point guard and being the first person back on defense, but the big men of Houston were ineffective at blocking, or even contesting shots at the rim. There were also lapses from the wings that led to wide open three point shots for the Pelicans. One play in particular, Eric Gordon gets lost on a screen and both he and Clint Capela are guarding Anthony Davis at 18 feet from the basket, while Gordon's man is wide open on the opposite wing. There will be games where the offense has to keep the Rockets alive due to defensive ineptitude.