Rockets to give initial Chris Paul assignment to Eric Gordon

Gordon was dynamic on defense in the 2018 and 2019 playoffs for the Rockets, and they’re hoping he can recapture that form in 2020.

Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon was a dynamic defender in the 2018 and 2019 NBA playoffs, with significant success against the likes of Utah’s Donovan Mitchell and Golden State’s Klay Thompson.

Leg injuries have largely kept Gordon from recapturing that form in the 2019-20 regular season. But with the 2020 NBA playoffs finally set to begin with Houston’s first-round series versus Oklahoma City, the 31-year-old appears ready for a flashback performance.

Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said before Sunday’s practice that Gordon would draw the initial defensive assignment against All-Star guard Chris Paul. While D’Antoni cautioned that man assignments would often change in the switch-heavy defense used by the Rockets, it clearly speaks to Houston’s trust in the 12-year NBA veteran.

“I’m going to be ready to go,” Gordon said on Sunday.

Though Gordon remains Houston’s No. 3 scorer at 14.4 points per game, his shooting figures fell from 40.9% overall and 36.0% on 3-pointers a year ago to 36.9% and 31.7%, respectively, this season. He missed 36 of the team’s 72 games in 2019-20 — exactly half — due to injury.

But Gordon says he’s healthy now, and with that, he hopes to turn back the clock. “The regular season doesn’t matter at this point,” said Gordon, whose upper-body strength has helped make him a strong playoff defender. “It’s go time. This is the real thing, and each game matters.”

With All-Star guard Russell Westbrook out to start the series with a right quad strain, Gordon will take his place in Houston’s starting lineup. That role also makes it easier for Gordon’s minutes to mirror those of Paul, who is averaging 17.6 points (48.9% FG) and 6.7 assists in 31.5 minutes per game for the Thunder. Now 35 years old, the future Hall of Famer ranks No. 9 out of the entire NBA in Win Shares this season.

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One positive for Gordon is that he knows Paul very well, having played with him the previous two seasons in Houston. As such, Gordon offered this scouting report on how to approach defending him:

He’s a very smart player. What we need to do is try to pressure him as much as possible. You don’t want his intelligence of the game to make a big effect. We definitely know how he is. We know who he is. We’re going to try our best and make sure he doesn’t have as good of an impact.

You’ve got to try and crowd him, and play with your hands up. You’ve got to put the pressure on him as much as possible. He can shoot — better now, it seems like, at this point in his career — but you definitely want him to put the ball on the floor sometimes, too. Like I said, you don’t want his intelligence to take over the game. You’ve just got to pressure him, and crowd him a bit.

Even if Houston succeeds in limiting Paul, that’s far from the only priority on defense. Fellow guards Dennis Schroder (18.9) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (19.0) actually average more points per game than Paul, so other perimeter defenders such as Austin Rivers and Danuel House Jr. will also need to step up for the Rockets throughout the series.

There’s also the matter of switching, which means frontcourt players like Robert Covington and P.J. Tucker will play key roles, as well.

“If they make one pass or one movement, we switch,” D’Antoni said. “So everybody’s going to be guarding everybody. And also, when you get back on defense sometimes, you match up with the man closest to you. So more than not, it’ll be evenly distributed throughout the team.”

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With four players averaging more than 17 points per game (the three guards and forward Danilo Gallinari), the Thunder have one of the more balanced scoring attacks among Western Conference playoff teams. Nonetheless, slowing “The Point God” and Oklahoma City’s lone All-Star would be a great starting point, and it’s Gordon who will get the first shot.

“You’ve got to love moments like this, when things get tough,” said Gordon, who noted that he also expects to shoulder an increased playmaking burden on offense during Westbrook’s absence. “During this time, you’ve got to try to play your best every game. I have to play well, and so do a lot of other guys. It’s going to take a collective effort.”

While Gordon believes the 2019-20 Rockets have championship potential, he says the key for his team is to take it one game at a time.

“Starting Tuesday, it’s going to be a good opportunity,” Gordon said. “We’ve just got to focus and do what we do. Worry about just Game 1, and focus on the things that we really need and have to do to win. As long as we do that, I’ll take our chances over anybody.”

With all games inside the fan-less NBA “bubble” at Disney World in Florida, Game 1 between the Rockets and Thunder tips off at 5:30 p.m. Central on Tuesday. TNT will have the national broadcast, with a regional version (with Houston announcers) airing on AT&T SportsNet Southwest.

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