Tag: Mike D’Antoni

As Rockets mull rotation, DeMarre Carroll focused on defense

“If we can all put it together and gel and have everybody compete on the defensive end, our offense is going to take care of itself.”

Both head coach Mike D’Antoni and GM Daryl Morey believe the unusual “training camp” late in the 2019-20 season — owing to the NBA’s long hiatus for COVID-19, and now its looming restart — could benefit the Houston Rockets more than most teams.

The main reason is because the Rockets had more changes during the regular season than most teams, and those shifts are difficult to fully implement on the fly when teams are jostling for playoff positioning.

Besides switching to a smaller lineup, Houston also brought in several new players such as Robert Covington, Jeff Green, and DeMarre Carroll. Of those three, Carroll had the toughest time immediately cracking D’Antoni’s rotation after signing with Houston (via buyout) in February.

[lawrence-related id=25013]

In 10 games with the Rockets before the hiatus, Carroll didn’t play at all in four of them. Of the six games he did play, his minutes often came due to blowout situations or the absence of a prior rotation player.

But D’Antoni and Morey believe these “training camp” practices could help players such as Carroll better integrate themselves. For his part, Carroll seems to believe it, too. When asked after Wednesday’s practice whether the circumstances benefit him, Carroll replied:

It’s great, especially for me. I can’t even deny that. Coming right in and coming to a team that’s already playing really good basketball, you just have to gel in. Now, giving me a training camp and letting me learn certain things, I think that can only help.

Carroll went on to describe specific situations in which the extended period of practices with his new team could help. He said:

I’m an active guy, I like to move around and play defense. But picking my spots, when to cut, when to go back door, when to set a pick… those are the little things. I’ve been in the NBA for 11 years, so it’s just all about me getting comfortable. When I’m comfortable, I think I can perform like I’ve performed all my 11 years.

Now 33 years old, the 6-foot-6 forward is best known for his rugged, hard-nosed defense and reliable 3-point shooting. From the 2013-14 season through 2018-19, Carroll shot 36.4% on 3-pointers on relatively high volume at 4.5 attempts per game (in 29.1 minutes).

For a Houston squad that leads the NBA in 3-point attempts yet also needs a boost on the defensive end (they rank No. 2 in net rating on offense, but No. 16 on defense), Carroll could be a valuable addition.

“I want to bring not only my 3-point shooting, but my defense,” Carroll said Wednesday. “Those are the two key elements, and that’s what I’m going to try to go out there and do.”

[lawrence-related id=33189]

As far as the defensive end of the court, the veteran could thrive in the switch-heavy scheme organized by assistant coach Elston Turner. Regarding his priorities, here’s what Carroll said Wednesday:

I’ve got to be active, and do what I’ve been doing my whole career. Switching on good players, trying to slow down great players. I’ve just got to use my IQ like I always have been, and that’s what I want to bring this team.

Led by a pair of former MVPs and 2020 All-Stars in James Harden and Russell Westbrook and a legendary offensive coach in D’Antoni, nearly everyone agrees that Houston should have an elite offense. The big question about the Rockets (40-24), who enter the restart tied for No. 5 in the Western Conference, is whether they have the defense to match. For example, the West’s top two contenders — the Los Angeles Lakers (49-14) and Clippers (44-20) — each rank in the NBA’s top five in defense.

But the Rockets have raved about their defensive intensity early in this training camp period, and the opportunity to mix in new pieces such as Carroll could be a part of the potential turnaround.

“We’re actually looking well [on defense],” Carroll said. “Really well. If we can all put it together and gel and have everybody compete on the defensive end, our offense is going to take care of itself.”

“Everybody on the team can shoot threes, so that’s not going to be a problem,” Carroll said Wednesday. “The main problem is we just have to be active on defense and rebound collectively, because we’re a small team. Those are things we really have to focus on.”

[lawrence-related id=34049,33954]