| Beyond The Injuries Authored by Brandon Hoffman - December 1, 2008 - 11:08 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
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Houston’s defense has been solid. Weakside rotations have been a step slow at times, and they continue to give up too many layups, but led by Artest, the Rockets are fourth in points allowed per 100 possessions.
Houston’s offense has been a different story altogether. The Rockets are twentieth in points scored per 100 possessions. Houston is not executing anything remotely similar to the “motion offense” Rick Adelman ran in Sacramento. Adelman’s offense in Sactown was predicated upon high-post passing, backcuts, and ball handoffs. This year’s Rockets squad relies on the one-on-one play of Yao Ming, McGrady, and Ron Artest.
Ming, McGrady, and Artest are proven scorers, but their teammates have become bystanders. There is little movement away from the ball. Artest has been a black hole thus far -- averaging a team-high 14.6 shot attempts per game -- while shooting a meager 34% from the field.
Artest shot 5-of-18 from the field Sunday night against the Denver Nuggets. After the game, Adelman noted that Artest “needed to look to kick the ball out better when he put it on the floor.”
Artest played for Adelman in Sacramento, but you’d never guess it by the looks of him this year. Artest hasn’t looked comfortable all season. When he isn’t forcing shots down low, he’s settling for jumpshots on the perimeter.
Yao is also struggling. Yao is averaging a team-leading 17.8 ppg, but is taking three fewer shot attempts per game than last season. Some of that should be attributed to Artest’s ball-domination. The Rockets are at their best when they get the ball to Yao on the block and play off him on the perimeter. That can’t occur however unless Yao establishes position close to the basket.
Nene and Kenyon Martin routinely out-muscled Yao on the block, forcing him to receive the ball outside of the paint where he has a tough time passing out of or stepping through double-teams. Yao has been passive on the boards too, averaging only 9.2 rebounds per game.
As important as the Artest acquisition has been, Houston’s season may hinge on the return of Battier and Barry. With so many one-on-one scorers, the Rockets are in desperate need of outside shooters to space the floor. Point guard Rafer Alston is shooting just 36% from the field, including 31% from beyond the arc. Battier and Barry have struggled from long-distance in limited action this season, however both players possess 39% or better career three-point shooting percentages. Battier and Barry will also make the extra pass and move the ball when the offense becomes stagnant.
In order for the Rockets to play together as a cohesive unit, Adelman may have to implement more of what worked for him in Sacramento. There’s plenty of basketball to be played, but Houston’s offensive woes are nothing new -- Artest has only compounded matters.
Brandon Hoffman is a contributing writer for RealGM. Visit Brandon’s NBA blog BallerBlogger.com. |
