For what it's worth, Harden and Westbrook averaged 4.5 turnovers per game apiece, combining for 61 percent of the team's total turnovers on a basis. In terms of turnovers, Houston was also a middle-of-the-pack team in 2019-20, averaging 14.7 turnovers per contest (16th in the league). It will be interesting to see how that changes with John Wall replacing Westbrook this season. As such, they only dished out 21.6 assists per game as a team, ranking 29th in the league. With James Harden and Russell Westbrook manning the backcourt, the Rockets played a lot of iso ball. They only made 34.5 percent of their attempts from distance, though, ranking 24th. The Rockets drained 15.6 triples per game, which again ranked first in the entire NBA. Unsurprisingly, they led the league in this particular category with 45.3 heaves per contest. This is primarily brought about by the fact that Houston took a ton of three-pointers each game. Their efficiency, however, left a lot to be desired, as they ranked 22nd in the NBA with an average field goal percentage of 45.1. The Rockets took 90.4 field goal attempts per contest, ranking eighth in the league. Houston also played with the second-fastest pace in the NBA at 104.04 (again behind the Bucks). They were a close second to the league-best Milwaukee Bucks, who themselves averaged 118.7 points scored per game. The Rockets were able to put up the second-most points in the entire league throughout the regular season with 117.8 points per contest. It goes without saying, however, that this could always change in an instant if Houston's front office decides to do a full reboot.Įxceptional offense has always been a trademark of Mike D'Antoni-led teams, and this was on full display yet again for the Rockets in 2019-20. They added a couple of bigs to their lineup during the offseason in Christian Wood and DeMarcus Cousins.Īfter the whirlwind of transactions, it appears that the Rockets will now be rolling with a core of Wall, Oladipo, and Christian Wood. With former head coach Mike D'Antoni out of the picture (as well as ex-GM Daryl Morey), the Rockets opted to veer away from their small-ball lineup. Other major offseason departures for Houston include Robert Covington (traded to the Portland Trail Blazers), Jeff Green (free agent), DeMarre Carroll (free agent), Tyson Chandler (free agent), Luc Mbah a Moute (free agent), Austin Rivers (free agent), and Thabo Sefolosha (free agent). Not long before the Harden deal, the Rockets also pulled a trigger on a trade that sent Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall, who himself spent the entirety of last season recovering from an Achilles injury. As part of the deal, the Rockets acquired Victor Oladipo, Rodions Kurucs, Dante Exum, four future first-round picks, and four pick swaps with Brooklyn. The Harden trade ended up being a four-team blockbuster deal, which involved the Nets, the Indiana Pacers, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the process, Houston officially turned a page on their franchise as they look forward to a fresh start. It took some time - and a lot of drama - but the Rockets finally got the deal done. The Houston Rockets saw a dramatic transformation to their squad over the past couple of months, which culminated with former cornerstone superstar James Harden being sent over to the Brooklyn Nets.
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