Reserve guard Eric Gordon sees a quicker pace and more ball movement as priorities for the Houston Rockets due to their smaller lineup.
In a Facebook Q&A with play-by-play broadcaster Craig Ackerman, Gordon was asked to assess the team’s decision in February to shift to a permanently smaller lineup without a traditional center.
The 31-year-old Gordon, who is now in his 12th NBA season, replied:
As it relates to small ball, we’ve got to continuously, I think really play faster. We’ve got to continuously get more open shots. It should be an easier game for us. As good as we are, as many playmakers as we have, we should be coming down the floor taking the easy shot — a good shot every time, with continuous ball movement. I think that would just make things easier.
Defensively, we’ve got to be scrappier. That gives us a chance to be more physical. Because rebounding is definitely going to be an issue. Any time no one is taller than 6-foot-6, that can be an issue sometimes.
https://www.facebook.com/17729777319/videos/240017770403398
To Gordon’s point, Jan. 31 was when the Rockets began playing full-time without a center. Prior to that date, Houston ranked No. 2 in the NBA in pace at 104.2 possessions per game. Since then, the Rockets have slipped slightly to No. 8 in pace at 102.0 possessions per game.
[lawrence-related id=29229,24287]
The Rockets were 1-4 in March prior to the league’s COVID-19 hiatus, which Gordon referred to in the interview with Ackerman as the team’s “lowest point” of the 2019-20 season. Gordon again stressed the need for more consistency from Houston’s veteran-laden roster, led by a pair of former NBA MVP guards in James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
[lawrence-related id=29063]
One of the team’s problems has been the health of Gordon, who has been in an out of the linup all season. In all, he’s missed 30 of Houston’s 64 games due to injury, with most traced to a surgical procedure on his right knee in November. When he plays, Gordon is the third-leading scorer on the Rockets (40-24), averaging 14.5 points in 28.6 minutes per game.
In the interview, Gordon again said that the extended time off had allowed his knee to fully heal. If the 2019-20 season is able to resume, improved play by Gordon and his increased availability could be a big part of the solution for head coach Mike D’Antoni and the Rockets.
[lawrence-related id=29050,29041]