It was bad enough when the Houston Rockets lost at home to their rivals, the San Antonio Spurs. But what’s followed in the 10 days since has been even worse, as the Spurs appear to have put out the blueprint on how to stop this Rockets team.
Houston led by eight at halftime of that game, before being outscored by 20 in the second half of an eventual double-digit loss. The Rockets scored 36 points in the first quarter, then managed just 37 total in the entire second half.
So what changed? The Spurs’ defensive approach.
San Antonio dropped back in their defense of Amen Thompson, daring him to shoot. They even assigned Victor Wembanyama to guard Thompson, which allowed the defensive star to roam like a free safety. The Spurs also sagged off Alperen Sengun, while ramping up the pressure on Kevin Durant.
Since then, the formula has spread.
Houston is coming off back-to-back home losses in which it failed to reach 100 points. They were ran out of the gym by the Boston Celtics, who used the same strategy, before losing by double digits to a 24-28 Charlotte Hornets team.
The Rockets’ problem is the same one that plagued them last year: not enough outside shooting.
Houston believed that bringing in Durant alone would be enough to fix it, especially with spacing. But that spacing collapses when Thompson doesn’t command any attention on the perimeter. Defenses can leave him alone and overload the paint.
Dorian Finney-Smith was also brought in as shooting help, but has played in only 18 games and is shooting just 24% from three following a preseason injury.
And while Tari Eason is shooting a career-best 49% from distance this season, it just hasn’t been enough, as he has only 60 made threes through the Rockets’ first 50 games, missing time with multiple injuries.
Meanwhile, Sengun is shooting 36% from the floor since that Spurs loss, while Thompson is at 44%. And Reed Sheppard, who was expected to provide a boost to the outside shooting this season, is shooting a lackluster 31% in his last nine games.
Thompson has made just one three-pointer over the last 11 games, which is why no defense needs to be concerned when the point guard has the ball beyond the arc. And still, he is on pace to attempt a career-high number of threes. At times, Houston is effectively playing four-on-five in the half court.
Rockets need to improve perimeter shooting
The Rockets are attempting the second-fewest threes in the NBA, offering little threat from the perimeter. As a result, defenses are packing the paint and daring Houston to beat them from outside.
But none of this is new. Golden State employed a similar strategy to knock poor-shooting Houston out of the playoffs a year ago.
When the Rockets had a chance to address their shooting need in the offseason, they instead poured resources into Clint Capela and Steven Adams, banking on Durant to carry the load.
And when they had the chance to upgrade at this week’s trade deadline, the Rockets instead stood pat. Meanwhile, Durant’s former teammate Tyus Jones was moved (a 40% 3-point shooter over the previous four seasons), as was Luke Kennard (44% career 3-point shooter), and veteran point guard Jose Alvarado.
And the frustration now seems to be surfacing. Sengun was ejected from Wednesday’s game for cursing out an official, then found himself on the receiving end of a heated exchange with a frustrated Durant in Thursday’s loss.
While the Rockets still sit fourth in the Western Conference, they’re also scoring the second-fewest points per game since that Spurs loss, while attempting the fewest threes in the league. Houston is just 9-8 in its last 17 games, with a road matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on deck.
The problem is, there’s no real fix available until the offseason. Houston didn’t take its shot when it had the chance, much like its perimeter offense.
