Houston Rockets Complete 2016-17 NBA Season Preview

James Harden took Dwight Howard’s screen and pulled up at the left-side elbow. Howard rolled to the basket, and started his leap, expecting Harden’s pass for what would have been a perfect alley-oop. It wasn’t to be.

Instead, Harden opted for an ill-advised mid-range jumper, which he missed.

Howard flailed at the rebound, coming nowhere near it, and looked at Harden with dismay. In the micro, it was a meaningless play during the first quarter of a game with a 10-8 score.

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In the macro, if you were to find a moment encapsulating why the short-lived Harden-Howard era died, that might have been it. After that play (and more like it), few could have doubted Howard would leave at the season’s end and the Houston Rockets would be putting together a very different look in 2016-17.

In April, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com, reported the consternation went both ways:

While Howard is irked by not getting the ball as often as he would like, it is Harden who is dismayed by the center. He wishes Howard would demand the ball and not goof around so much. Howard’s personality — bubbly, friendly, warm — often can rub guarded people such as Harden the wrong way. Howard jokes with fans during games and easily becomes frustrated with referees.

So, when the offseason came, the Rockets did the expected mini-rebuild, sans Howard. The new-look team has more offense, less defense and is undeniably Harden’s.

                                                                   

Biggest Offseason Move

Houston made several big moves this year—signing Mike D’Antoni as the next head coach, while adding Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon—which will all have serious impacts.

But the biggest move wasn’t a “move” at all. It was extending Harden’s contract four more years for $118 million in the wake of Kevin Durant’s departure from Oklahoma City. Houston has security in knowing that its foundation isn’t going anywhere.  

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported on general manager Daryl Morey’s reason for the move:

Without locking up Harden, the Rockets would have been building on quicksand. Anything that looked good on the surface, would have been on too insecure a foundation to lead to more.

“It’s extremely important when you’re talking to folks about joining your team,” Morey said. “You have the main core in place. Obviously, James is the most important part of that. It was a no-brainer.”

To paraphrase: “We are unequivocally and unapologetically building around Harden.”

D’Antoni’s success or failure will depend on how well he utilizes Harden, whom he’s already named the point guard. Anderson’s impact will be judged on his ability to stretch the court and open driving lanes for Harden. Gordon’s biggest contribution will be allowing Harden—who has played nearly 200 more minutes than anyone in the NBA the last two year according to Basketball-Reference.com—the ability to rest without watching a lead dissipate.

Everything the Rockets did this summer was to build a team around the Beard. 

                                                                

Rotation Breakdown

On paper, the Rockets’ bench is a major upgrade.

Over the past two seasons, the Rockets blundered on offense every time Harden grabbed pine. According to NBA.com, their offensive rating plunged from 107.2 to 99.1 when their star sat in 2015-16 and from 107.07 to 93.7 in 2014-15.

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