Daryl Morey on smaller Rockets: Opposing big ‘has no one to guard’

Houston GM Daryl Morey thinks other teams will have to adjust to the smaller Rockets, and that’s exactly what happened in Los Angeles.

The Houston Rockets made quite a statement in the first game of their new small-ball era, winning by double digits in Los Angeles.

The visiting Rockets (33-18), who have now won seven of their last nine games, outscored the top-seeded Lakers by a 16-3 margin over the final four-plus minutes of Thursday’s 121-111 victory (box score).

Even against the extreme length of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers, Houston flourished with a closing lineup of 6-foot-5 P.J. Tucker and 6-foot-7 newcomer Robert Covington on the front line, flanked by guards James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Eric Gordon.

The Rockets made 19-of-42 shots (45.2%) from 3-point range as a team, with many wide open thanks to the added floor spacing from having shooters at all five positions. That spacing also gave more driving lanes to Westbrook, who finished with a game-high 41 points on 60.7% shooting.

[lawrence-related id=24247,24233]

Meanwhile, Houston’s newfound versatility and switchability on defense helped limit the Lakers to 9-of-31 (29.0%) shooting on 3-pointers — leading to a 30-point edge from behind the arc.

That proved to be too many points for the Lakers to overcome, even given their advantage in paint scoring. It’s becoming somewhat expected, since the Rockets are 5-0 in the last 11 days with Tucker at center, with wins over three playoff teams in Utah, Dallas, and the Lakers.

According to GM Daryl Morey, that was a big part of the idea when the Rockets swapped out traditional center Clint Capela for a more versatile (albeit smaller) defender and superior shooter in Covington.

In a new interview from Los Angeles with Mark Medina of USA TODAY Sports, Morey said of the new-look Rockets:

As much as people want to say, ‘How will you handle this guy or that big guy?’ I say the other coach is even more afraid sitting there wondering how the hell are they going to play their big guy, who has no one to guard.

To that point, that’s exactly how it played out against the Lakers. When Los Angeles won at Houston on Jan. 18, the Lakers had a combined 18 rebounds and six blocks in 43 minutes from centers JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard. Those big men were able to stay on the floor, in part because the Rockets countered with Capela and Tyson Chandler.

By contrast, in Thursday’s game, McGee and Howard played barely over 20 minutes, with only six rebounds and one block, combined. In contrast to the conventional wisdom, it was the larger Lakers who seemingly felt they had to adjust to match up with the smaller Rockets.

Of Houston’s new approach on offense, Morey said:

You’re sort of screwed guarding us. If you cut off penetration, we’re going to take a lot of 3s. You try to take away the 3-pointers, we’re going to get a lot at the rim.

With regards to defense, Morey said the Rockets are more focused on perimeter defense than traditional rim protection.

With defense, we think you have to start at the perimeter and be solid there. Unfortunately, rim protection is really difficult these days with the rules that they are if a guy is getting downhill. It’s very hard even if the center is back to handle that. You have to cut off penetration at the start with a strong perimeter and then get the rebound and get out and go.

Morey sees Covington as a perfect fit for both of those objectives.

Adding a Covington, where we can shore up our perimeter defense and also be a top-notch shooter, is a huge part of our ability to play that way.

In his sensational debut, Covington scored 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting (57.1%) from 3-point range, including two late daggers.

In the interview, which was conducted before Thursday’s game, Morey said he believes the Lakers (38-12) are deserving Western Conference favorites at the moment, based on their gaudy record.

But Morey also noted that the Rockets have confidence they can beat them, as they ultimately did later that night.

The Lakers deserve to be called the favorites. They play better than anyone to this point. They’re playing unbelievable basketball at both ends. So they’re the favorite. We’re in a group with the Clippers, Utah and Denver and the other top contenders in the West to fight with them. But we feel very comfortable we can beat the Lakers.

The complete interview with Morey, which also includes insight on Houston’s strategy with regards to potential buyout targets and luxury tax considerations, can be read at USA TODAY Sports.

[lawrence-related id=24109]