Tag: Ben McLemore

Why the Rockets have a decision to make this week on Ben McLemore

For both basketball and contractual reasons, the Houston Rockets may need to make a decision this week about Ben McLemore’s future.

Last week, the Houston Rockets waived Ryan Anderson just days before his salary was set to pass his partial guarantee of $500,000.

In addition to freeing up a roster spot, the transaction limited the amount of future money and potential luxury tax payments that might have had to be made for a player who did not figure into the team’s longer-term plans. Payments up to the $500,000 guarantee were essentially a sunk cost once Anderson made the opening-day roster, but anything beyond that total needed to make sense on the merits of his on-court play.

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By Sunday, they could have a similar decision to make with regards to 26-year-old swingman Ben McLemore, who is poised to exceed the $500,000 partial guarantee in his contract on Dec. 1, 2019.

It’s certainly not as easy of a decision with McLemore as it was with Anderson. After all, the veteran forward never cracked the team’s rotation and only played in two games this season.

McLemore, on the other hand, has played in all 17 games for the Rockets (11-6) this season, and his minutes per game jumped from 7.3 in October to 24.2 in November. He even started four games at small forward when usual starter Danuel House Jr. was out due to injury. Both head coach Mike D’Antoni and superstar guard James Harden have praised McLemore at various points this season.

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The issue for McLemore, however, is that his primary role — at least in theory — is a fairly replaceable one. In effect, he’s supposed to be the bench shooter for Houston in place of Gerald Green, who is lost for the 2019-20 season with a broken foot.

But despite getting numerous open looks off the attention drawn by Harden and Russell Westbrook, McLemore is shooting just 29.6% from three-point range on the season on 5.8 three-pointers per game. With 98 total attempts, that’s not an insignificant sample size, and it’s hard to justify significant minutes at that level for a team as dependent on three-pointers as D’Antoni’s Rockets. In his last four games, McLemore has had two games of 0-of-5 and 0-of-6 from three-point range.

By contrast, Green connected on 36.0% of his three-pointers over the last two seasons with the Rockets.

Internally, D’Antoni could consider giving some of McLemore’s time to young prospects Chris Clemons or Gary Clark — though neither would be a drop-in replacement for McLemore’s usual wing minutes. At 5-foot-9, Clemons is a half-foot shorter, while the 6-foot-6 Clark has primarily played in the NBA at power forward and even as a stretch center.

The simplest change could be an external signing, where several proven veteran wings are available. Keep in mind, there is precedent for D’Antoni’s Rockets to make such a change on the fly, given the in-season signings of Green two years ago and House and Austin Rivers last season.

After last Friday’s loss in Los Angeles, The Athletic‘s Kelly Iko wrote that the Rockets were not yet considering such a move.

Concerning the injuries to Houston’s snipers, Rockets fans have pointed to the free-agent pool of shooters like J.R. Smith, Jamal Crawford, and Nick Young — names I brought up in conversation — but there’s no sense of desperation to go that route. Internally, they believe the contributions of Ben McLemore and even calling up players like Gary Clark can hold them above water while Eric Gordon and Danuel House return to the fold.

But things can change quickly in the NBA. McLemore went 0-for-6 from long range in Sunday’s loss to the Mavs, which puts the Rockets on their longest losing streak of the year at three games.

Since Gordon isn’t expected back until late December, there could be a sense of urgency to do something sooner. With Harden on a historic scoring binge, teams are double-teaming him more frequently than ever, which makes it imperative that other players on the court with him take advantage of the resulting open shots and four-on-three situations.

Moreover, from a logistics perspective, this week could be an ideal opportunity to consider changes. In addition to Sunday being a key inflection point with McLemore’s contract, the Rockets are in Houston all week and have just one game (Wednesday versus Miami) between Sunday’s loss to Dallas and Saturday’s game versus Atlanta.

That means ample practice time for the Rockets, and an opportunity for D’Antoni to tweak his rotation, should he and the team deem it necessary.

To be clear, the Rockets wouldn’t have to release McLemore to change their rotation. They already have an open roster spot after waiving Anderson, and there’s also the option of replacing his minutes internally with the likes of Clemons or Clark. But if Houston deems McLemore unworthy of rotation minutes, it may not be not worth having him occupy a roster spot and the potential luxury-tax payments on it down the line.

After all, the Rockets already have the NBA’s third-highest payroll for the 2019-20 season, and owner Tilman Fertitta hasn’t yet shown a willingness in his tenure to spend deep into the luxury tax.

The one exception could be if the Rockets felt they needed McLemore as salary filler for a potential in-season trade, since any new signing — unlike McLemore, who was signed in the offseason — could not be aggregated for trade purposes for 60 days.

There’s also the option, of course, that they continue using McLemore in the same role they have for weeks. It’s not as if there isn’t a case for it. Even with the losing streak, Houston’s current stretch of eight wins in 11 games would be good for a 60-win pace over a full season. In that run, McLemore has averaged nearly 25 minutes per game.

Despite his shooting struggles and occasional defensive issues — at 6-foot-3, he’s quite undersized relative to most small forwards — McLemore still grades out favorably by many metrics. For example, though he shot 0-of-6 in Sunday’s loss, his +4 in the plus/minus category during his 21 minutes was the only positive of any player in D’Antoni’s rotation.

For the season as a whole, McLemore’s defensive rating of 103.9 and overall net rating of 10.9 are both the best of any Rockets rotation player. However, those numbers would appear to fly in the face of both the percentages and the eye test. That’s the dilemma for D’Antoni and GM Daryl Morey as they try and assess his true value to the team.

As of Monday, it’s unclear what the final verdict will be. But the Rockets are home in Houston all week, with a stretch of four off days in five days. There’s a clear sense of urgency to turn things around after three straight losses, and they’re well aware that Sunday is a critical inflection point, as it pertains to McLemore’s contract. That makes this subject one to monitor closely as the week progresses.

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Rockets decry defensive lapses vs. Dallas in third straight loss

The Rockets made just 10-of-44 three-pointers in Sunday’s loss, but they primarily blamed their leaky defense — which allowed 137 points.

The Rockets gave up 45 points to the Dallas Mavericks in Sunday’s first quarter and couldn’t overcome that early deficit in a 137-123 home defeat (box score) at Toyota Center. It’s the third straight loss for Houston (11-6) following a recent eight-game winning streak.

The Mavs (11-5) were led by 41 points and 10 assists from second-year guard sensation Luka Doncic, along with 23 points and 13 rebounds from 7-foot-3 forward Kristaps Porzingis. They led for the entire game.

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“It’s one of those games where you’ve got to force yourself to have the juice to start,” head coach Mike D’Antoni said postgame. “A 2:30 start coming back from LA [Los Angeles], an emotional game on Friday, and we were flat and they weren’t. They punched us good, and we fall all the way back. A lot of times when you do that, you run out of gas. I had to play James [Harden] extra minutes early to get us stabilized, and you then don’t have the juice to finish it off. Above all, [Dallas] played really well.”

The Rockets trailed by 16 points after the first quarter and by 20 in the third quarter before making a push, clawing back to within five on two occasions early in the fourth quarter. But as D’Antoni alluded to, the Rockets spent so much energy during the comeback that they didn’t seem to have anything left down the stretch.

James Harden led the way with 32 points and 11 assists, but he made just 2-of-15 (13.3%) from behind the three-point arc. Off the bench, Ben McLemore and Austin Rivers were a combined 0-of-9 on three-pointers.

Overall, despite numerous open looks Houston made just 10-of-44 (22.7%) from three-point range — while Dallas connected on 17 of their 44 attempts (38.6%). That 21-point gap on the same number of shots was much more than the final margin between the teams.

However, the Rockets were much more concerned postgame about their lethargic early defense than they were the bad shooting.

“Our defensive was not where it needed it to be from the beginning of the game,” said veteran defensive ace P.J. Tucker, who scored 16 points (7-of-10 shooting) in 36 minutes. “We knew they were one of the best first half teams in the league. We had to assert ourselves early, and we didn’t.”

“We allowed them to do whatever they wanted to do [offensively] from the beginning of the game,” added Harden. “When you give a team like that comfort and the ability to do whatever they want, they gain confidence, and that’s what they did.”

As one might expect given the total of 123 points, the Rockets had plenty of stat-stuffers. Starting center Clint Capela had 21 points and 22 rebounds, which tied Dennis Rodman for the NBA’s longest streak (at seven games) since 1976 of consecutive games with at least 19 rebounds.

Danuel House Jr. returned from a one-game absence due to a sore shoulder and added 16 points, including three of Houston’s 10 three-pointers. Russell Westbrook had 27 points and six assists, and his 40% clip (2-of-5) on three-pointers was his best mark from three-point range since the season opener back on Oct. 24. Westbrook also had several acrobatic layups during Houston’s rally late in the third quarter and early in the fourth as the Rockets cut into the lead.

But none of it was enough to fully overcome the early deficit, and the Rockets are putting the blame squarely on themselves for surrendering 45 points in the first quarter.

“When you have to be perfect, it’s hard,” Rivers said. “We put ourselves in a hole to where we had to be perfect to win the game.”

The Rockets return to action Wednesday at home versus Miami (11-4), which means it won’t be easy for Houston to snap its current three-game slide. The Heat crushed the Rockets by 29 points earlier this month, though that game was in Miami. Houston then won its next eight games.

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Why the Rockets need Eric Gordon to unlock shots for James Harden

With James Harden limited to just 16 shot attempts in back-to-back Rockets losses, here’s how the eventual return of Eric Gordon could help.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey seems to be pointing at the eventual return of guard Eric Gordon as a critical development to help loosen opposing defenses for Houston superstar James Harden. There’s ample reason to believe in that relationship, too.

Morey, who is currently in Europe on a scouting trip, posted a nighttime image of an illuminated room with the caption: “Opposing coaches coming up with ways to stop [Harden] once [Gordon] comes back.”

Gordon recently had surgery on his right knee, and he’s expected to return in late December. The knee problem likely contributed to Gordon’s much worse than expected start to the 2019-20 season — with shooting figures of 30.9% overall and 28.4% on three-pointers. Both figures are well below the percentages of 41.4% and 36.4% from his first three seasons in Houston, and his average of 10.9 points per game is the lowest of any season in his 12-year career.

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The Rockets (11-5) have largely had a successful start to the new season, even with Gordon struggling or out injured. However, they’ve lost two straight games versus the Nuggets and Clippers this week in which the leading theme was an inability to get Harden enough shot attempts.

Through 16 games, Harden is currently scoring 38.3 points per game on remarkable efficiency, with a career-high 62.7% true shooting clip. It’s the best per-game total for any NBA player in the last 56 seasons.

Yet, in large part due to that dominance, opposing teams are coming up with new and almost unprecedented ways to combat Harden with numerous traps and double-teams to force the ball out of the his hands early and force any other Rockets player to beat them.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone compared it to defending Michael Jordan, viewed by many as the greatest player in basketball history. “Back in the day, they had the Jordan Rules,” Malone said Wednesday. “You have to have rules against James Harden. It’s the same caliber of player.”

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In Wednesday’s game against the Nuggets and Friday’s game against the Clippers, Harden was extremely efficient with combined averages of 32.0 points, 9.5 assists, and 7.5 rebounds per game on 53.1% overall shooting and 47.4% on three-pointers.

However, the raw scoring output was still more than six points below his season-long average, largely due to Harden only being able to get off 16 shots in each game. After the game, the former Most Valuable Player (MVP) said the level of defensive attention was almost unprecedented.

The primary issue appears to be that not enough of Harden’s perimeter teammates command respect from opposing defenders. For example, Russell Westbrook and Ben McLemore — with the latter starting due to absences by Gordon and Danuel House Jr. (sore shoulder) — are connecting on just 22.0% and 31.5% from three-point range, respectively. Reserve guard Austin Rivers is shooting just 30.3% on three-pointers, including a woeful 17.6% over his last seven games.

On Friday’s final possession in Los Angeles with the Rockets trailing by one point in the closing seconds, the Clippers effectively dared Westbrook to beat them by sending his defender to trap Harden. Predictably, Westbrook bricked his open three-pointer, and the Rockets went on to lose the game.

P.J. Tucker does command respect with a 45.6% clip on three-pointers, but he’s just one player. Moreover, his inability to create offense off the dribble makes it easier for defenders to scramble back and recover against him.

That’s where Gordon, if healthy, could be so vital. Not only did Gordon shoot 40% from three-point range last postseason with the Rockets, but he also scored nearly 18 points per game because of his ability to both shoot and create.

It should be noted that the Nuggets and Clippers are both top 10 defenses. Most opponents on the regular-season schedule — even if they try similar schemes — won’t have the collective length or personnel to pull off what those teams did over the past two games. The looming return of House (44.6% on three-pointers) should help, as well.

But the last two games are a good reminder of what might be waiting for the Rockets in the Western Conference playoffs next spring. If Houston’s formula for success continues to rely heavily on Harden producing at historic levels, opponents are going to send incredible amounts of resources his way. To combat that, non-Harden Rockets need to make opposing defenses pay for effectively surrendering a four-on-three in order to double Harden.

There is some reason to believe in organic growth. Giving many of McLemore’s minutes to House should help, and Westbrook should bounce back to some degree. While he’s never been a good three-point shooter, his career mark of 30.5% is significantly better than his current 22% rate. Last year, Westbrook shook off a similarly cold start to his season to connect on nearly 33% of his three-pointers over the year’s second half.

But in the long run, a healthy Gordon might be most important of all, given his unique combination of shooting and playmaking relative to the rest of the current roster.

The Rockets’ offense (No. 3 in net rating) is certainly good enough to win games in the regular season without Gordon. After all, Houston has still won eight of its last 10 overall, even considering the 0-2 road trip.

However, the way both the Nuggets and Clippers won by denying shot attempts to Harden was a reminder of how critical Gordon still is to the Rockets’ ultimate ambition of an NBA championship next June.

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Danuel House Jr. sits out Friday, but likely to play Sunday

Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. sat out Friday’s game in Los Angeles with a sore shoulder, but he appears likely to return Sunday.

Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. sat out Friday’s road game versus the Los Angeles Clippers with left shoulder soreness, but he appears likely to play in Sunday’s home matchup versus Dallas.

Head coach Mike D’Antoni updated the status of House prior to Friday’s game at Staples Center. The Rockets (11-4) entered having won eight of their last nine games, with House as a starter and key contributor.

With House out, the Rockets started Ben McLemore at small forward, just as they did last week when House missed three games with a bruised back. At 6-foot-3, McLemore is considerably smaller than the 6-foot-6 House and offers less defensive versatility.

House’s latest short-term injury occurred during Wednesday’s second half in Denver, when he ran into a screen set by 284-pound Nikola Jokic.

House flexed his arm for several minutes on Houston’s bench, hoping he would be able to return to the game. However, he eventually left the court, and the team announced that he would not return.

In 12 games this year, House is averaging 11.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 28.9 minutes per game, and he’s been one of Houston’s top three-point shooters at 44.6%. His defensive rating of 104.0 is among the best of any player in the current Rockets rotation.

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Rockets list Capela, House as probable to return Monday

The Rockets upgraded the medical status of two starters, with Clint Capela (concussion) and Danuel House Jr. (back) now probable for Monday.

The Houston Rockets appear likely to get a pair of needed reinforcements for Monday’s home game versus Portland.

In Sunday’s injury report, the Rockets listed both Clint Capela and Danuel House Jr. as probable. House missed the last three games with a bruised back, while Capela sat out the last two with a concussion.

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The Rockets (10-3) have won seven consecutive games, but the schedule for the upcoming week appears difficult — headlined by road games on Wednesday and Friday at a pair of likely Western Conference contenders in Denver and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Thus, it certainly feels like an opportune time for Houston’s starting center and small forward to return.

In 11 games, Capela has averaged 13.4 points (65% shooting), 12.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 30.2 minutes per game. The 6-foot-10 big man has grabbed 20 rebounds in his last three games, making the 25-year-old the first Rockets player to do so since Moses Malone in 1982.

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old House is averaging 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per game, led by a blistering 45.5% mark on three-pointers. The defensive rating of 104.0 and overall net rating of 8.0 by the 6-foot-6 forward and native Houstonian are both among the best of any player in head coach Mike D’Antoni‘s regular rotation.

Ben McLemore and Tyson Chandler, who each started in the absence of House and Capela, will return to bench roles.

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Clemons, Hartenstein have career nights as Rockets’ streak hits seven

James Harden scored 49 and Chris Clemons and Isaiah Hartenstein each set career highs, leading the Rockets (10-3) to a seventh straight win.

The Houston Rockets probably weren’t too surprised by the game-high 49 points from James Harden on Saturday in Minnesota, even on night two of a split back-to-back. After all, he’s a former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the league’s leading scorer for a reason.

But career-high showings off the bench in the form of 19 points from rookie guard Chris Clemons (+32 in plus/minus), and 16 rebounds (+26) from 21-year-old seven-footer Isaiah Hartenstein? Those were quite unexpected, and it helped lead the short-handed Rockets to an impressive 125-105 road win (box score) Saturday at Minnesota (7-6).

Despite standing just 5-foot-9 and several inches shorter than those guarding him, Clemons was very efficient Saturday by shooting 7-of-11 overall (including a dunk!), and 5-of-9 on three-pointers.

It represents the seventh straight victory for the Rockets (10-3), who are now just a half-game back of the Los Angeles Lakers (10-2) for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

Even with three starters and four rotation players out in the form of Russell Westbrook (rest), Danuel House Jr. (bruised back), Clint Capela (concussion), and Eric Gordon (knee surgery), the Rockets found a way to keep their winning streak going with improbable contributions from the likes of Clemons and Hartenstein — especially when combined with the usual brilliance from Harden.

Harden has now scored 40+ points seven different times in the 2019-20 season to date, which is more than half of Houston’s 13 games.

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Guards Austin Rivers (19 points) and Ben McLemore (20 points) started in place of Westbrook and House, with each performing admirably. At center, Tyson Chandler started for Capela. But at 37 years old, Chandler was limited to 17 minutes on night two of the back-to-back, following a strong performance (+24 in 25 minutes) in Friday’s home win over Indiana. However, Hartenstein more than picked up the slack with 16 rebounds in a career-high 31 minutes.

The Timberwolves were led by 27 points and 15 rebounds from All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns. Despite it being the second night of a back-to-back and the road, Houston’s defensive effort somehow improved as the game moved along, with the Rockets allowing just 43 points in the second half after giving up 62 in the first half.

The Rockets will not practice Sunday, taking it as a well-deserved day off after a stretch of three wins in four days. They’ll return to action Monday with a home game versus the Portland Trail Blazers (5-8).

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James Harden scores 44 to lead Rockets to sixth straight win

Despite several rotation injuries, James Harden scored 44 to lead Houston to a sixth straight win in Friday’s home victory over Indiana.

The Houston Rockets were down two starters and three rotation players due to injuries, facing an opponent in the Indiana Pacers that entered Friday’s game at 7-4 and on a four-game winning streak.

It didn’t matter much in the end, because they had James Harden.

Led by 44 points (13-of-26 shooting, 6-of-14 on three-pointers) in 40 minutes from the NBA’s leading scorer and 2018 Most Valuable Player (MVP), the Rockets used a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Pacers and win their sixth consecutive game.

The 111-102 victory improved the Rockets to 9-3 on the 2019-20 season, which ranks second in the Western Conference.

Harden — who scored 17 of his 44 points in the fourth quarter — also had eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

With center Clint Capela (concussion), forward Danuel House Jr. (bruised back), and guard Eric Gordon (knee surgery) all out with various injuries, the Rockets still found a way to win thanks to Harden and key contributions from replacement starters Ben McLemore and Tyson Chandler.

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McLemore made four three-pointers and scored a season-high 21 points, while Chandler had provided strong rim protection and had Houston’s best plus/minus at +24 in his 25 minutes played.

Russell Westbrook had 17 points and a key three-pointer in the fourth quarter, along with eight rebounds and six assists. However, his shooting slump continued with just five makes in 21 attempts.

With Capela unavailable as a rim protector, the Pacers were led by promising young big man Domantas Sabonis, who scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds (box score). Indiana led by four points with under nine minutes left before Harden led Houston’s decisive run.

Westbrook is likely to sit out during Saturday’s game at Minnesota for planned maintenance, since it’s a back-to-back and he’s still recovering from an offseason knee scope. However, Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said before Friday’s game that House might return for that game, which could help to fill Westbrook’s rotation minutes.

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Podcast: On the defensive growth, Harden versus Beverley, and more

Friday’s podcast breaks down Harden versus Beverley, Russell Westbrook’s shooting slump; the Rockets’ defensive improvements; and much more.

Friday’s Locked on Rockets podcast episode with host Jackson Gatlin and analyst Ben DuBose offers more analysis on Houston’s current five-game winning streak, punctuated by a 102-93 win over reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The episode begins with a discussion of the NBA’s defensive stat tracking, and how Patrick Beverley really did get burned by James Harden (47 points) multiple times throughout the game.

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The conversation then transitions to how the team’s defensive identity continues to grow and improve, with the Rockets now ranked No. 17 in defensive rating for the 2019-20 season after previously being second-to-last in the NBA through six games.

The 93 points allowed by Houston to the Clippers (7-4) — viewed by many as a legitimate NBA title contender — were the least allowed by the Rockets (8-3) in any game so far this season.

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Other topics include the need for Russell Westbrook to take advantage of his style of play and maximize his output in “Russ-only lineups” with the second unit; rotation speculation given several injuries to key contributors like Eric Gordon (out six weeks), Danuel House Jr. (day-to-day) and Clint Capela (day-to-day); and praise for unexpected contributions from veteran center Tyson Chandler.

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The show concludes with a preview of Houston’s upcoming schedule for the remainder of November, with seven consecutive matchups looming against potential playoff teams. Tune in!

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Eric Gordon undergoes right knee arthroscopy, likely out six weeks

The Houston Rockets announced Wednesday that Eric Gordon underwent right knee arthroscopy, performed by Dr. Walter Lowe at Memorial Hermann.

The Houston Rockets announced Wednesday that guard Eric Gordon will miss about six weeks after undergoing right knee arthroscopy.

Six weeks from Wednesday is Dec. 25, which is when the Rockets have a nationally televised game at Golden State as part of the NBA’s annual Christmas Day slate. If Gordon returns on the team’s projected timetable, that would mean he misses 20 games due to the procedure.

Gordon’s procedure was performed by Dr. Walter Lowe of Memorial Hermann. A world-renowned orthopedic surgeon, Lowe is medical director of the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute in Houston, and he serves as team physician for both the Rockets and the NFL’s Houston Texans. According to his biography, Lowe specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of knee, shoulder, and elbow injuries and disorders.

The knee problem may have contributed to Gordon’s much worse than expected start to the 2019-20 NBA season. Through nine games, the 6-foot-3 guard has shot 30.9% overall and 28.4% from three-point range. Both figures are well below the 41.4% and 36.4% percentages logged by the 30-year-old during his first three seasons in Houston.

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“It will clean up some things,” head coach Mike D’Antoni said of Gordon’s procedure, via Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “It’s been bothering him actually since the middle of last year. I think he’s actually relieved that he can clean it up, get it going, so he can come back as strong as ever.”

Overall, Gordon averaged 10.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per game during his injury-plagued start to the season.

Gordon’s absence will likely lead to additional minutes in the rotation for 6-foot-3 guard Ben McLemore, who has graded out very well in a limited sample of 15.5 minutes per game.

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Ben McLemore earns opportunity for Rockets with Gordon, House out

With wing players Eric Gordon and Danuel House Jr. injured, 26-year-old Ben McLemore is poised to earn more minutes for the Houston Rockets.

Given the sudden wave of injuries to wing players, Ben McLemore is poised to get his first start for the Houston Rockets in Wednesday’s nationally televised home game versus the Los Angeles Clippers.

The 26-year-old is likely to start at small forward, according to head coach Mike D’Antoni. That’s because Danuel House Jr. is doubtful for Wednesday with a bruised back, while Eric Gordon could miss up to six weeks after undergoing a knee procedure.

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The proposed change would definitely make the Rockets smaller, with the 6-foot-3 McLemore three inches shorter than the 6-foot-6 House. Though McLemore is athletic, that lack of length wouldn’t seem to be ideal against the Clippers, who have a 6-foot-7 superstar at small forward in Kawhi Leonard.

Moreover, McLemore enters the game on something of a cold stretch, having made just 22.7% of his three-pointers over the last four games. For the year, he’s at 31.7% from behind the three-point arc, which is below the NBA average for wing players.

And yet, even with the inconsistent shooting results, the Rockets have clearly been a better team with him on the floor. That helps explain why McLemore, rather than a taller and more proven option in 35-year-old Thabo Sefolosha, is getting the start.

Both McLemore’s defensive rating of 103.1 and overall net rating of 13.5 are the best on the entire Houston roster among players who have averaged at least 15 minutes per game this season. His average plus/minus of +4.4 trails only House.

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In the first six games of the season, when Houston had the league’s second-worst net rating in defense, McLemore averaged 11.9 minutes per game. In the last four games, the Rockets have had the league’s second-best defensive rating — with McLemore averaging 20.9 minutes per game. Houston (7-3) won all four of those contests.

Last week, D’Antoni said this regarding the University of Kansas alum and former No. 7 pick of the 2013 NBA Draft:

Ben, I’m starting to really like him. … His defense and his smartness, and knowing how to [play] vertical and stay in plays … I’m starting to trust him. And he knows when he screws up, and that’s all you can ask. But he’s been good.

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Given his draft slot, McLemore was considered a relative bust with the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies, with whom he averaged 8.8 points in 23.7 minutes per game over his first six NBA seasons. But unlike those two stops, there’s presumably the roster of a title contender around McLemore in Houston, and he’s largely taken advantage through the first 10 games of the 2019-20 season.

It remains to be seen if his early metrics will hold up, once exposed to more minutes. At some point, he likely needs to hit outside shots at a higher clip for those lofty ratings to be sustainable. But as of now, the Rockets have clearly been better with McLemore on the court — and that’s earned him a huge opportunity in the games ahead.

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