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In his last appearance for the Houston Rockets, Russell Westbrook sustained a quad injury. It was immediately clear to attending team doctors that the 2017 NBA MVP would likely miss the start of the playoffs.
The Brody brought a whole new dimension to the Houston Rockets offense over the past NBA season. Replacing Chris Paul with him meant increased pressure on the opposition's paint area and consequently, more open 3-pointers for perimeter players when he played the drive-and-kick game.
While his scoring will be tough to replace, Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni has presided over worse problems with success. Let's take a look at 5 tactical moves D'Antoni will make in response to the Brody's absence:
Adjustments the Houston Rockets will make
#1 Making James Harden the de facto point guard
James Harden is among the best playmakers in the NBA. He has an assists title in his bag from 2016-17, and his ability to slow the game down before generating open looks for teammates makes him even more of a problem for opposition defenses.
During the regular season, Westbrook's presence allowed the 2-time scoring champion to focus on his iso game, and the Houston Rockets flourished. But Harden will have to go back to his default 2017 mode in Westbrook's absence so as to ensure that the Houston Rockets offense stays effective.
Without Harden playing point, the team is likely to struggle at generating open looks for their 3-and-D marksmen. The Houston Rockets take 40-50 3-pointers in a typical NBA game, and they're not going to abandon Moreyball anytime soon.
#2 Starting Eric Gordon
Eric Gordon has been out with injury for most of the NBA restart. The Houston Rockets bench packed much less of a punch in his absence. Mike D'Antoni had to stagger Westbrook and Harden's minutes to keep their offense alive, and that might have been a factor in Westbrook getting injured against the Spurs.
The #7 pick in the 2008 draft has had injury troubles throughout the 2019-20 NBA season, and his 3-point shot hasn't been reliable - especially those 28-footers that he loves to take. But Gordon is still a pretty good secondary playmaker to have on the floor, and he might almost be able to mask Westbrook's impact in that regard.
The Houston Rockets would love to have Eric Gordon coming off the bench in an ideal world, but the situation is what it is. The 6'3" guard is their best option at shooting guard and will definitely see more floor time than usual.
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#3 Making Austin Rivers the default second unit point guard
Signing Austin Rivers as a free agent was one of Daryl Morey's bravest roster moves in 2019, given the history between him and Chris Paul. But the 8th-year player has been a valuable addition to the Houston Rockets, adding a new dimension to their bench and giving them much-needed depth.
Rivers' role becomes all the more important to the Houston Rockets in Westbrook's absence, since they will need a playmaker to anchor their bench lineups when Harden rests. While Rivers is just about league-average as a 3-point marksman (35.1% on the year), he will have the ball in his hands more often than not.
It will not be advisable for the veteran to take too many pull-up jumpshots, but his ability to do so makes him a weapon.
#4 Increasing Ben McLemore's floor time
A top draft pick in the 2013 NBA draft, Ben McLemore always had the talent to make it work. Injuries and his weak defensive instincts were his bane, but McLemore finally found a perfect coach in Mike D'Antoni and a franchise in Houston Rockets that brought the best out of his skillset.
Appearing in all but 1 game through this season, McLemore has been the best shooter for the Houston Rockets with a 3-point percentage of 40.0% on 6.4 attempts per game. His ability to space the floor will be valuable. McLemore also has a handy iso game that makes him a multidimensional weapon to have on the floor.
Expect McLemore to share significant minutes with both Harden and Rivers.
#5 Playing a 9-man rotation instead of his preferred 8
One of the constant criticisms of Mike D'Antoni's strategies through his head coaching career has been his aversion to playing his reserves. D'Antoni has faced flak for sticking to 8-man rotations and running his starters into the ground, compromising their freshness for the playoffs.
This past NBA season, we have seen the Houston Rockets take a different approach. Their rotations have been loosened, giving more rest to their starters. But we have yet to see D'Antoni apply this philosophy in the playoffs.
Westbrook's loss is an incalculably tough one on the Houston Rockets. He is, without a doubt, the most intense player in the NBA. His hustle and instincts on defense led to improved performances by the team on the less glamorous end of the game. The only way to preserve that energy across the team is by expanding the team's rotations, and D'Antoni realizes that.
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