Assuming the 2019-20 NBA season eventually returns from its current hiatus due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, don’t expect any major changes from the Houston Rockets with regards to their rotation.
In Sunday night’s Facebook Q&A with Daryl Morey accompanying a documentary film about the 2007-08 team, the Houston GM was also asked several questions about his 2019-20 squad.
One player frequently discussed was 21-year-old seven-footer Isaiah Hartenstein, who has played well in limited stretches this season but fell out of the rotation upon Houston’s transition to a smaller lineup.
Here’s one such exchange:
Question: Is there any talk around playing Hartenstein when Russ [Westbrook] goes to the bench, to help Harden?
Morey: Isaiah has had a great season, but Mike [D’Antoni] has mostly settled on his rotation. So, not this year.
With 6-foot-5 P.J. Tucker now Houston’s starting center, the Rockets have frequently touted the virtues of increased floor spacing as significant for Westbrook, given that it opens up more driving lanes.
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However, many fans have wondered whether having a lob threat and the element of vertical spacing might be beneficial to backcourt co-star James Harden. Here’s how Morey responded to that inquiry:
Question: Daryl, do you believe ‘small ball’ should be played the entire game? It seems like the minutes Russ sits, there should be a big in there with James, since he seems to be the one most affected by not having one — since there is no lob or pick and roll threat.
Morey: I leave that to Mike [D’Antoni], maybe top offensive genius in NBA history. The lob threat has been minimized very dramatically given how teams are guarding us.
Over a seven-game stint in the team’s rotation from Dec. 28 through Jan. 11, Hartenstein averaged 9.3 points (67.4% shooting), 8.1 rebuonds, and 1.1 blocks in 18.6 minutes per game at center.
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But Hartenstein fell out of the rotation as the Rockets began downsizing in late January, and he’s been inactive for 10 consecutive games while spending most of his time with the G League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In 14 starts with the Vipers this season, the 2017 second-round pick is averaging 24.9 points (58.1% FG) and 14.8 rebounds in 32.6 minutes.
.@Ipjh55 feasted en route to #NBAGLeague Player of the Week 🍽️
30.5 PPG | 20 RPG | 3.5 APG | 3 BPG | 75 FG%@HoustonRockets ➡️ @RGVVipers pic.twitter.com/hqsTJ4Upg3
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) March 9, 2020
Another factor working against Hartenstein is the calendar. The Rockets will likely only have a small handful of regular-season games to play, if any, following the COVID-19 hiatus, which makes any drastic change to the team’s rotation or playing style difficult to envision (barring injury).
However, the Rockets do hold a team option on Hartenstein’s contract at a very inexpensive salary figure of $1.7 million for the 2020-21 season. Thus, he might still get another opportunity down the road.
Morey’s comments can be viewed in the comments section beneath the team’s Facebook video stream of the 2007-08 documentary.
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https://www.facebook.com/17729777319/videos/211060600122839