James Harden leads significant defensive turnaround for Rockets

Both film analysis and data suggest that James Harden is a key reason for the improvements on defense by the Houston Rockets this season.

After the first six games of the 2019-20 NBA season, Houston Rockets superstar James Harden was part of the team’s massive problem on the defensive end of the floor.

During their 3-3 start, the Rockets ranked second-to-last in the league in net defensive rating (116.2). On an individual level, Harden’s defensive rating of 115.1 was in the middle of the pack among Houston players registering at least 20 minutes per game.

In the nine games since, though? The Rockets (11-4) are 8-1, and their overall net defensive rating (101.0) is third-best in the NBA.

“Defensively, I think we’ve been pretty good,” Harden said Monday after the team’s eighth-straight victory. “That’s going to be the key for us.”

While all players have seen their defensive ratings surge based on the overall team improvement, Harden is at the top of the list when it comes to the proportional rate of his increase. His defensive rating of 96.7 over the last nine games trails only Clint Capela (96.3) among Rockets players who have averaged at least 20 minutes per game over that period.

Harden’s steals and blocks per game have risen from 0.8 and 0.3, respectively, over the first six games to 2.2 and 0.7 over the last nine. His defensive rebounds are up in the same period, from 3.3 per game to 5.9.

Defensive rebounding has been a big part of the team’s overall improvement on that end. In those first six games, the Rockets ranked No. 23 in the league in defensive rebounds (34.0). In the nine games since, Houston has surged to 38.1 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the league and has corresponded with their uptick in wins. Statistically, more than half of that increase could be attributed to Harden.

Considering Harden leads the league in scoring, it’s natural that his improvements on offense have been noticed most. After averaging 35.3 points on 37.1% shooting and 21.5% from three-point range during the team’s sluggish start, the former Most Valuable Player (MVP) has bumped those numbers to 40.4 points per game on 46.3% shooting and 42.6% from behind the three-point arc over his last nine games.

The 30-year-old has also won the last two Western Conference Player of the Week awards.

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But from a team perspective, it’s not the offense that has really changed. Over the first six games, Houston’s offensive rating of 111.3 ranked No. 5 overall. In the last nine games, their rating of 112.2 is No. 7 overall.

It’s the growth on defense that has corresponded with the dramatic improvement in team results, and Harden — even considering his extreme workload on offense — is leading the way.

Of this season’s top four NBA players (Harden, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Damian Lillard) by FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR metric, Harden has provided the most defensive value.

It’s unclear what sparked the defensive turnaround from Harden in particular. Earlier this month, head coach Mike D’Antoni cited subpar conditioning as a reason for the team’s slow start, adding that his team was “not in great shape” at the time.

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It’s possible that Harden’s fitness is improving as the season moves along. He may also feel compelled as the team’s leader to lead by example, especially after an awful showing on Nov. 3 in Miami — when the Rockets fell behind 59-18 after just 16 game minutes. That setback dropped their record to 3-3. It could be a combination of those and other things.

Whatever the reason, though, the storyline for the Rockets (11-4) this season and their improvement isn’t just about the elite offense. That’s been there all along. Rather, it’s superior defense that is primarily responsible for changing the team’s results. And it’s Harden — even with his historic usage rate of nearly 40% on offense — who is leading the Rockets’ growth on the other end of the floor, as well.

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