We're almost there! Let's talk basketball
State of the Rockets: James Harden dominates scrimmages, and a conversation about Eric Gordon
Jul 29, 2020, 5:27 pm
We're almost there! Let's talk basketball
With no scrimmage stats available, we're going to change up for format a little bit today.
Eric Gordon goes down with ankle injury
Rockets guard Eric Gordon is expected to miss approximately two weeks with left ankle sprain, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.— Shams Charania (@Shams Charania) 1596048223.0
On last week's episode or Red Nation Hoops, I talked with SI's Michael Shapiro about what we were looking to get out of these scrimmages from the Rockets. Shapiro and I came away with the same answer: "How does Eric Gordon look?"
We both said this because we know the Rockets have a playoff ceiling without Eric Gordon. When he's playing well, he turns them into a different, more dangerous team and their entire micro-ball concept relies on them having multiple capable ball handlers like him. Gordon had also been pretty bad this year, presumably due to injuries, so it was natural to be curious how he would look after a four-month layoff.
So then the scrimmages started and Eric Gordon shoots 2 for 8 from three-point range in his first game. No big deal, right? It's the first sanctioned NBA game in months, and he wasn't the only player that was rusty. Then he shot 0 for 6 against Memphis in the second game and while it was a little head scratching, it still was pretty easy to write off. Before turning his left ankle against Boston, Gordon shot 1 for 6 from three-point range.
"Uh-oh," said Rockets play-by-play announcer Craig Ackerman on the broadcast. This was naturally my first response as well as a slew of panicking Rockets fans weighed in on the injury on Twitter. Then the broadcast replayed the play where Gordon turned his ankle. Then Gordon was shown being helped off the floor, but he was noticeably able to put some weight on the ankle.
Let me be clear: I am not a doctor, but as someone who's watched a lot of basketball over the last 10 years, the injury didn't look that severe in the moment. I say all of this to say, before the X-ray results came in and before we were briefed by Mike D'Antoni post-game with an update on Gordon, I had a thought that may be somewhat controversial:
As long as Gordon is able to safely return to the floor in a month, this may end up being good for him and the Rockets as a team.
Again, let me reiterate what I said at the top of this diatribe - the Rockets need Gordon and they have a playoff ceiling without him. However, temporarily as the Rockets are trying to find a rhythm on both ends of the floor, it may be better for Gordon to be re-introduced to the group later on, when they are rolling.
"Of course Eric is a huge part of what we're doing and what we're trying to do," said James Harden after the game. "Hopefully he can get his ankle healed as soon as possible. But we've been dealing with adversity all year. It's an opportunity for guys to step up."
Players like Danuel House, Austin Rivers, and Ben McLemore can sufficiently fill in the gaps for Gordon until the playoffs roll around and these players may benefit from the extra reps themselves.
For example, someone like Austin Rivers, who seems to struggle as a tertiary ball-handler, seems like an obvious temporary beneficiary with an expanded role. It's a really dark thing to say, but Rivers' highest of highs with this Rockets team have come when he's been the third guard - meaning when there was an injury in the guard rotation. I sort of expect that to happen now.
When asked who will start if Gordon is unable to return, Mike D'Antoni was pretty vague.
"We'll see," said D'Antoni. "I started Ben [McLemore in the second half] for a couple reasons. One is it's an easier rotation because Danuel [House] has to backup Covington at forward so it's better. Danuel also thought he could start. We'll see."
Mike D'Antoni is big on role definitions, and he's actually said that he likes Danuel House as the sixth man and backup forward a few times throughout the season. It's possible Ben McLemore starts on Friday. However, if I were to venture a guess, I would say D'Antoni caves and inserts the better player into the starting lineup at some point during Gordon's absence. Either way, both House and McLemore will see more playing time.
Eric Gordon has not been particularly strong defensively this year and I suspect the Rockets will temporarily be better without him in the rotation.
Again, I don't think the Rockets are better in the long-run without Gordon, but I suspect they will see temporary benefits because of how poorly he's played.
Bringing Gordon off the bench in a minutes restriction before playoff time sounds more natural than force-feeding him over thirty minutes a game when he's struggling so badly.
James Harden is ready for real basketball
If you were ever worried about James Harden's conditioning or ready-level for the resumption of the regular season, he crushed those worries about 15 minutes into his first scrimmage. Harden has been firing on all cylinders in Houston's training camp and it's actually quite incredible to watch - even after all these years.
Trying to defend James Harden just looks exhausting and demoralizing. https://t.co/WFJOTIN9zy— Salman Ali (@Salman Ali) 1595639144.0
90 points
25 assists
20 rebounds
5 steals
2 blocks
23 of 46 from the field
16 of 29 from three-point range
28 of 33 from the free throw line
74.4% True Shooting
+47 in 90 minutes
These are cartoon statistics that feel like they have to have been fabricated. Harden credits his offseason conditioning and doing things like sprints and stairs after practices for how well he's played. Whatever the case, the 30-year-old guard certainly looks ready for games that count.
Jeff Green has been solid
I want to careful as I'm writing this because Jeff Green has a tendency to get fanbases across the NBA excited only for the up-and-down nature of his game to upset them. However, so far, Green has been a really solid pickup for the Rockets.
"Oh yeah," said Mike D'Antoni when asked if he could see Green playing in Houston's playoff rotation. "Jeff's going to play. Jeff's a heck of a basketball player."
Green posted 18 points on 6 of 7 shooting from the field and 3 of 4 shooting from three-point range against Memphis. He's been averaging 18.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on 73.9% True Shooting per 36 minutes ever since he signed with the Rockets. He's been solid on the small-ball forward/center role he's been asked to play for the team and it may be a situation where this is what he is as a basketball player from now on.
Again, it's only been 10 games with Houston and Green is infamous for his inconsistency. It's something to monitor and acknowledge for right now.
Sixteen may be sweet, but it isn’t the only relevant number as the NCAA Tournament heads into the regional semifinals.
Here are some other numbers worth knowing for each team. These statistics will help you learn more about each of the remaining teams and could explain how some of them got this far.
EAST REGIONUCONN: In UConn’s second-round victory over Northwestern, Donovan Clingan became just the third player in tournament history to get 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks in a game. The others to do it were Hakeem Olajuwon for Houston in 1983 and David Robinson for Navy in 1986. The blocks also were the most ever by a UConn player in a tournament game.
SAN DIEGO STATE: The Aztecs’ Sweet 16 matchup with defending national champion UConn will mark the fourth time that two teams have faced each other in the tournament a year after meeting in the final. The losing team from the championship won the rematch in one of the three previous instances, when Duke beat UNLV in a 1991 semifinal. Cincinnati won two straight championship games over Ohio State in 1961-62. Florida beat UCLA in the 2006 championship game and in a 2007 semifinal.
ILLINOIS: Illinois has won six in a row, and Terrence Shannon Jr. has scored at least 25 points in each of those games. The 6-foot-6 guard has averaged 30.5 points and has shot 52.8% (56 of 106) from the floor during that stretch. He also shown an uncanny knack for drawing fouls during the streak. Over his last five games, Shannon has gone 51 of 58 on free-throw attempts.
IOWA STATE: Iowa State is allowing just 61.2 points per game to rank fourth among all Division I teams in scoring defense. Since falling 73-65 to Houston on Feb. 19, the Cyclones haven’t allowed any of their last 10 opponents to exceed 65 points. The Cyclones next face Illinois, which ranks ninth in points per game (84.6) and has averaged 91.3 points over its last four contests.
WEST REGIONALABAMA: Mark Sears and Aaron Estrada were the first set of Division I teammates since 1996-97 to both have at least 410 points, 125 assists, 120 rebounds, 50 3-point baskets and 40 steals during the regular season. Sears is averaging 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals. Estrada has 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
NORTH CAROLINA: Armando Bacot had seven straight tournament double-doubles and six consecutive tourney games with at least 15 rebounds before he ended up with 18 points and seven boards in a second-round victory over Michigan State. His seven straight NCAA double-doubles matched Tim Duncan and Olajuwon for the NCAA record.
ARIZONA: Arizona’s first-round triumph over Long Beach State marked the 19th time this season the Wildcats had five different players score in double figures. No other Division I team had that many games this season in which five different players had at least 10 points.
CLEMSON: Each of Clemson’s first two tournament opponents has shot below 40% against the Tigers. Clemson won its first-round game by limiting New Mexico to 29.7% shooting, the lowest percentage the Tigers had ever allowed in an NCAA tourney game. Clemson now faces Arizona, which shot 52.8% in its second-round victory over Dayton.
MIDWEST REGIONCREIGHTON: Baylor Scheierman is the first Division I men’s player in history to have at least 2,000 career points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 3-point baskets. Scheierman, who is in his second season at Creighton after playing three seasons at South Dakota State, has 2,208 points, 1,250 rebounds, 578 assists and 352 3-pointers.
TENNESSEE: Tennessee is making its 10th Sweet 16 appearance – including its seventh in the last 18 years – but the Volunteers have never reached the Final Four and earned their lone regional final berth in 2010.
GONZAGA: Gonzaga is in the Sweet 16 for the ninth straight time, the longest active streak of any Division I team. Going back to 1975 – the first year that all teams had to win at least one game to reach the Sweet 16 – the record for consecutive Sweet 16 appearances is owned by North Carolina with 13 straight from 1981-93.
PURDUE: Zach Edey is the first player since Kareen Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor) in 1968 to have at least 50 points and 35 rebounds while shooting 65% from the field in his first two games of an NCAA Tournament. Edey has shot 67.9% (19 of 28) and has totaled 53 points and 35 rebounds in victories over Grambling State and Utah State.
SOUTH REGIONDUKE: Jared McCain has gone 10 of 17 from 3-point range through the first two rounds. In the Blue Devils’ second-round blowout of James Madison, McCain became the first freshman to score at least 30 points without committing a turnover in an NCAA Tournament game since the event expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
HOUSTON: The Cougars showcased their depth by surviving a second-round matchup with Texas A&M in overtime even after four of their five starters fouled out. They became the first team to win an NCAA game while having at least four players foul out since 1987, when UTEP overcame foul trouble to beat Arizona.
MARQUETTE: Marquette owns a 75-29 record under coach Shaka Smart despite posting a negative rebound margin in each of his three seasons. The Golden Eagles have been outrebounded in each of their last eight games but have gone 5-3. They’re getting outrebounded by 3 boards per game this season. The only other Sweet 16 team with a negative rebound margin is North Carolina State (minus-0.8), which faces Marquette on Friday.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE: Mohamed Diarra has 6.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game this season, but he’s averaged 11.7 points and 13.5 rebounds over his last six. Michael O’Connell scored in double digits three times and totaled 14 3-point baskets in 31 regular-season games. He’s reached double figures in six of seven postseason games and has gone 12 of 22 from 3-point range during that stretch.