Still fresh from their disappointing end to the season following their blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, Mike D'Antoni is already thinking of what adjustments to make in the next campaign.
The Houston Rockets head coach shared that he feels James Harden can still play at an even higher level next year, but also admitted, via Tim MacMahon of ESPN, that he and his staff may need to give him additional rest and some nights off to conserve some energy for the playoffs.
“Understanding his limitations. All great players think they can do everything. Maybe he does need to take a game off here and there. ‘Hey, you're nicked up a little bit, don't play, maybe.' Something to talk about, but that's also his greatness, too. So it's hard. It's very delicate.”
“And again, I feel so sorry for him because he's had an unbelievable [season]. I mean, he's had a historic year, and you can't just say, ‘OK, one game …' and all of the sudden, social media goes crazy. … But he will get better. We will talk about it. I can help him. The offense will get better. I can get him off the ball some. I can save his legs a little bit and have more confidence [in other ball handlers]. Pat Beverley can run the team a little bit. We can do different things.”
D'Antoni has long been a non-believer of resting key players during the regular season. However, after seeing his fellow coaches do that tactic, and with Harden appearing to be too fatigued in Game 6, he might opt to follow suit next season and start sitting players in some matches.
It remains to be seen if it would pay dividends for the Rockets, but with the other stars of the league being able to continue their stellar play throughout the campaign, it may turn out to be the difference between losing in the conference semifinals and moving on to the deeper rounds of the postseason.
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