The Houston Rockets and James Harden are struggling. It’s apparent by not only their play on the court but also their record and the rumor mill that’s churning in Houston.
They already fired their head coach, Kevin McHale, and there have already been rumors about what to do next. Whether or not they move newly acquired guard Ty Lawson is up for debate but there could be some in-house fixes that could adjust the situation.
One thing that could be changed is reducing the work load of perennial MVP candidate James Harden. Harden believes a reduction in his workload would also help his defense.
Following from Calvin Watkins of ESPN.
James Harden said he would like to see his minutes reduced. Harden leads the NBA averaging nearly 39.7 minutes… https://t.co/93mWtDZwLd
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) December 2, 2015
James Harden on his defensive issues: "Playing those amount of minutes (39.7) your going to have some lapses, some mistakes."
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) December 2, 2015
Harden’s defense is not great this season, one season after his ‘defensive revitilization’ last season. He’s seventh worst in the NBA among starting guards this season with a 108.1 defensive net rating, his 103.3 offensive rating is out of the top 10 as opposed to his top 10 finish last season and his net rating is -4.8, good for 67th among starting guards this season while also averaging the most minutes for any starting guard in the NBA.
If the Rockets want to make a change without swapping Ty Lawson, then they need to put Ty on the bench and make him the Harden supplement. Patrick Beverley and James Harden as the starting backcourt with a rotation of Marcus Thornton, Jason Terry or even Corey Brewer alongside Ty Lawson would be ideal. Ty is in a rough situation where he can’t really play alongside James, they both demand the ball and their defense isn’t exactly lockdown as much as Patrick Beverley.
Does that mean the Rockets should be looking to move Lawson to a team for a more all-around guard? Possibly but they can also solve their problems amongst themselves.
