The Houston Rockets have had a great year. At 41-19, they’ve put themselves in a position to be successful in the playoffs. What’s their achilles heel?
The up and down play of their bench. They’ve got some solid bench players, such as Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin and newly acquired Jordan Hamilton (Asik would start on most teams). The offensive firepower is lacking with this group.
When James Harden’s out and these guys hit the floor, the ball stops and the shot clock just twinkles down. Coach Kevin McHale is fully aware of this and that’s why Harden plays 38.5 minutes per game.
What can they do about this? Jeremy Lin needs to be more aggressive. He’s not confident on offense right now and he needs to hit threes. If Lin can get going and put points on the board consistently, that’ll set the tone and raise the confidence of the whole bench.
Whether Lin can consistently hit shots is to be determined, but the bench is the biggest x-factor going forward. If they can give them a lift, that’s huge and unexpected. What do you think of the Rockets bench play this year?