Yes, the Houston Rockets play with no center.
No, they are not a tiny team, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan emphasized.
Even though 6-foot-5 P.J. Tucker is the Rockets starting center and 6-foot-7 Robert Covington is power forward, the Rockets’ length and physicality gives Donovan pause.
“My first year in the NBA playing against Golden State, when they had Draymond (Green) at the 5, everybody talked about small, small, small,” Donvan said.
“They were not small. they were very, very physical, they had length, and those guys proved over a long period of time that they could play against bigger people.”
He feels the Rockets have created a rotation that does the same thing.
Therefore Donovan doesn’t think the Thunder have to downsize, though he said he’s “not opposed to that at all.”
Those bigs may be needed to add pressure to the tough Rockets players.
“Tucker has played against centers for a long period of time. Even when (Clint) Capela was there … He’s done this before. Their last game they played against the Sixers, and he guarded (Joel) Embiid.
Center Nerlens Noel said the games will be “intellectual.”
“Making the smart plays. Smart reads,” he said. “They’re going to be switching a lot, make sure we find the right angles to attack the rim. Making sure we’re getting the advantages coming downhill with the ball quick (and) fast.”
Personnel on the Oklahoma City roster can match up against Houston, from Darius Bazley as a small-ball 5 and Mike Muscala stretching the court at center.
Guards like Hamidou Diallo and Terrance Ferguson can guard around, too.
Noel said he’d need to make “small changes” with the Rockets’ switching and 3-pointers, but the small ball presents challenges for Houston alongside the advantages they’ve gained.
Donovan said the Thunder don’t have to be scared into replicating it.
“This is a team where it’s not necessarily about downsizing, in my opinion. Certainly we have the flexibility of doing that, but we’ve gotta be able to have a level of rim protection, lane protection, physicality, because they’re a very, very physical team,” Donovan said. “I’m not as wrapped up in terms of the size and the length as well as how well are we performing and how well are we doing.”
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