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Houston Rockets

Eric Gordon, Professional Shooter

Alykhan Bijani breaks down the plays the Rockets utilize to create open shots for one of the NBA’s deadliest shooters.

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Eric Gordon Houston Rockets

Nobody in the NBA has made more three-pointers than Stephen Curry to start the 2016-2017 NBA season. That’s been the norm for the last few years. However, his running mate Klay Thompson isn’t second. Neither is James Harden, Damian Lillard or Kevin Durant. It’s Houston Rockets shooting guard Eric Gordon, who has 112 three-pointers made with just about a third of the season played.

Last season, the Rockets employed a motion offense centered around James Harden’s ability to facilitate the basketball. With a combination of flare screens and pick-and-rolls, the Rockets hoisted up numerous three-pointers. However, the lack of spacing and shooting created an inefficient and ineffective offense.

Enter the 2016-2017 season, with the signings of Gordon and Ryan Anderson. The pair, along with Patrick Beverley, Trevor Ariza, and Sam Dekker, are all complementary pieces and shooters, and all are shooting upwards of 38% or better on three-point attempts. With the addition of professional floor-spacers and improvements to the offense, where ball and player movement are constantly emphasized, the Rockets have developed a potent offensive attack in which Gordon is thriving.

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Houston’s second-leading scorer, Gordon is averaging 17+ points per game while leading the race for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year. He’s also shooting a blistering 45+% from three-point range after only converting on 38% of those shots last season with the Pelicans. As Bill Worrell says, his range extends to Sugar Land, Pasadena, and other places. With his promising start to the season from three, we decided to look at the film to understand how and why Gordon has seen so much success.

1/2 DHO (Dribble Hand-Off)

I’ll be releasing a film study soon on the Rockets “21 series” Pistol offense that will analyze the Harden/Gordon and Harden/Beverley pairings and their offensive production from this formation. Until then, here’s a preview, in particular the “21 series” Dribble Hand-Off (DHO) between the ball-handler and three-point shooter. This is where Beverley has assisted Gordon on 27 three-point field-goals.

DHO

The ball handler (1) dribbles the ball towards the right (or left) corner where a shooter or wing stands. Another post or wing player stands on the elbow or high post area adjacent to the corner. If you pay close attention, it’s an isosceles triangle between the three players. What ensues is either a DHO between the 1/2 or a simultaneous screen-and-roll between the 2/4. In the case of Gordon and three-pointers, the DHO is the primary result of this formation. If he is run off the three-point line, he’ll get into a pick-and-roll with the Big at the elbow. However, as we’ll see, Beverley and Gordon have great chemistry and Patrick’s screens more than free up Gordon to get off a shot with his quick release.

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Beverley sets a proper screen, as he does on all DHO plays with Gordon. He has a good base by spreading his feet and slightly bending knees forward. His waist eliminates Gordon’s defender from contesting his jumper. Yes, in the play above, Lou Williams does a poor job of contesting Gordon, but many opposing defenses elect to take away the pick-and-roll threat. Teams will slide over a third defender to chip the roll man (especially with Clint Capela). However, with Gordon shooting 44+% from both wings, teams must shoot the gap and take the risk of Gordon attacking the closeout. As we’ll discuss in a later piece, that’s easier said than done with Gordon’s exceptional hesitation dribble and footwork to finish inside.

Defense Overloading on James Harden’s side



James Harden has become one of the best passers in the NBA, and his ability to connect with shooters off skip passes and cross-court passes make him and the offense incredibly difficult to guard. The San Antonio Spurs like to trap, double, or switch defensively on Harden when he runs sideline pick-and-rolls. In the scenario above, they decide to double and mitigate his drive to create penetration. Patty Mills rotates over from the help side. Once Harden begins to drive, Nene recognizes Mills and sets a flare screen. This takes away Mills’ ability to rotate back towards Gordon and now Kawhi Leonard is forced to rotate over to defend a Gordon three. It’s not quick enough for Gordon’s release, and Eric hits the three-pointer. As long as defenses continue to overload the strong side to contain the basketball and pressure Harden to make a decision, the help-side defense will be vulnerable and will consistently have to be cognizant of Anderson, Beverley, and in particular Gordon.

Eric Gordon Screening

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This half-court set has become a pet play of the Rockets, particularly in situations where they want to pick up the pace and score quickly. This play entails a pick-and-roll, the main component of Houston’s spread offense. It’s an especially clever play because Gordon does not start out at the three-point line. As Harden starts to cross half court, the Rockets’ Big (Nene) sets a screen on the hip of the defender. Simultaneously, with Brook Lopez staying back to protect the paint after the screener slips, Gordon sets a screen on the back of Lopez. Gordon’s defender watches Nene and is too late to get out of the way of Lopez rotating over to defend the roll. Gordon leaks out to the three-point line, gets the pass and hits a three-pointer in rhythm. Gordon’s back screen forces the opposing defense to react to the roll man. That creates mistakes and miscommunication, allowing Gordon to run out behind the arc and get a wide-open three-point opportunity.

Lateral-Step Dribble



The Splash Brothers of Golden State are masters at this. Essentially a small head fake or a quick dribble to the right or left opens up the shooter to a wide-open attempt. When defenders close out with their hands up, the shooter can pump fake, make a quick dribble and lateral step, collect their balance, then launch the three-pointer. Although Gordon missed on this attempt, he’s able to regain balance and properly gather and release the basketball. His personal shooting mechanics are impeccable within the flow of the offense.ketball. His personal shooting mechanics are impeccable within the flow of the offense.

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Houston Rockets

How the Kyrie Irving Injury Impacts Rockets

Houston’s draft positioning and offseason plans could be impacted by Dallas

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Kyrie Irving Injury

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving was injured Monday night and the news dropped on Tuesday that the knee injury is serious — a torn ACL in his left knee that will end his season and a good portion of next season as well.

Brutal. I can’t think of an NBA team that imploded faster than the Dallas Mavericks.

You trade away a 25-year-old phenom who just hoisted you on his back en route to the NBA Finals a year ago. You cashed in that golden ticket to go all-in on a trio of aging stars in Kyrie, Anthony Davis, and Klay Thompson.

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Bold strategy, Nico. Let’s see if it pays off.

(Narrator: It’s not paying off.)

The Mavericks had some interesting potential this year and maybe the next couple of years once everyone was healthy, but now? Their star guard is likely out until the calendar year 2026 and Klay and AD aren’t getting any younger nor more durable. The Mavericks may have actually swapped their future for a present that never arrives — and Dallas GM Nico Harrison has to be feeling overwhelming pressure right now.

So how does this impact the Rockets?

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For starters, Houston has a game remaining on the schedule against Dallas on March 14th at Toyota Center — Davis may or may not be back for that game.

More importantly, Dallas is the 10th seed in the West at the moment, just 3.5 games ahead of the Phoenix Suns (11th seed). The Rockets control Phoenix’s first-round pick unprotected this season via a swap. We need as many West teams as possible ahead of Phoenix to keep them out of the play-in/playoffs and to push them as deep into the lotto as possible.

This complicates that. Phoenix’s remaining schedule is the toughest in the NBA by a good margin, with plenty of games left against the league’s best teams, so it still looks promising overall — but we’re talking about Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. They can still get hot at the right time while Dallas may struggle.

So keep a close eye on that. The good news is the Portland Trail Blazers are one of the hottest teams in the league and they are (shockingly) nipping at the Arizona squad’s heels.

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Taking a look ahead to the offseason, the Kevin Durant Pursuit will be big.

This one is a little more complicated for Houston. The Rockets really want Devin Booker but, as of now, the Phoenix plan appears to be to trade KD this offseason and retool around Booker. The Rockets will have interest in Durant but they’re not going to sell the farm (prospects and all the picks) for a 37-year old like they would for Booker.

Three teams that I’ve heard a lot about from Rockets circles that will be in the mix are Houston, Minnesota and Dallas — Timberwolves and Mavericks have been considered the main competition. But, a lot of this will depend on Durant himself and where he wants to play at this stage of his career.

Keep in mind also, if the Suns are “retooling” around Booker and Beal (holding the no-trade clause), then they could be placing a higher priority on win-now players over the return of their own draft assets. The Rockets definitely have the best assets overall to offer up in any trade package between those three teams, but if Phoenix does prefer finding the right ready-to-win players around Booker/Beal, that gives Dallas and Minnesota a real chance.

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This injury “may” take Dallas out of the equation, and they are/were definitely a contender for KD’s services given his past relationship with Kyrie and the way Dallas was positioned to win right now. Does KD at his age want to wait for Kyrie to be healthy?

And one last friendly reminder: The Rockets control that Dallas 2029 first (unprotected).

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Rockets Sign David Roddy to Two-Way Contract

Former first-round pick has played with the Grizzlies, Suns and Hawks

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David Roddy Houston Rockets

The Rockets made a move on Monday, signing former first-round pick David Roddy to a two-way contract.

The two-way spot opened up after the front office signed Jeenathan Williams to a standard four-year, $8.2 million contract (with friendly team options all along the way).

Roddy is 6-foot-5 and 250+ pounds but sports a 6-foot-11 wingspan. He was taken with the 23rd pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft — six selections after the Rockets drafted Tari Eason. A standout in college, Roddy averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game during his junior season at Colorado State.

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Roddy, who turns 24 later this month, is a physical player who can play multiple positions. He’s a solid rebounder for his size/position. He has played in 165 games over three seasons with the Grizzlies, Suns, Hawks and most recently Sixers, averaging 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

The guard/forward has not shown efficient shooting, however — he’s a career 30.5% three-point shooter and just 68.4% from the line. His defense is better inside than out.

Ultimately, it will be those two things — three-point shooting and defense — that will determine his chances of carving out a consistent role in the league.

All in all, it’s a low-risk signing and the Rockets get a look at a prospect that fits their age timeline.

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Houston a potential landing spot for Ben Simmons post-buyout?

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Ben Simmons Houston Rockets

ESPN NBA analyst Brian Windhorst said on Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline show that Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons is working on a buyout and the Houston Rockets is a potential landing spot for him.

“Cleveland and Houston are two situations for Ben Simmons,” said Windhorst.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka was an assistant coach in Philadelphia in 2019-20 when Simmons was with the Sixers, before injuries took a significant toll. In fact, Udoka, when speaking about Amen Thompson earlier this season, brought up some comparisons to Simmons.

“The skill set is there, and it’s something that’s unique with his speed, athleticism, size, passing ability, and all those things,” said Udoka of Thompson. “I coached somebody, Ben Simmons, who had similar traits… as far as size and ability to push the pace, and find guys and finish. There are some similarities there.”

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Both Thompson and Simmons are known for their elite athleticism, defensive versatility, and ability to create opportunities in transition.

However, can Simmons help the Rockets today? That’s the tough question.

Simmons has played in 33 games this season, averaging 6.2 points, 6.9 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks in 25 minutes a night. He does not shoot threes (like, at all) — he has only attempted two threes in the past three seasons combined.

Ideally, he does not play in front of your young forwards of Amen, Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. and on that basis alone, I think I would pass. But, Ime loves defensive dogs and he could use some extra ballhandling on the roster. You can see that there’s little in the way of offensive organization when Fred VanVleet is out.

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There would be a comical full circle moment though if the Rockets did sign Ben Simmons, considering the Rockets were heavily criticized for trading James Harden in 2021 to Brooklyn instead of to Philadelphia for Simmons. The Rockets clearly made the right choice there.

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Rockets pick up another second-round pick in deal with Hawks

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Cody Zeller

The Houston Rockets are working the phones to do a little more asset management.

After acquiring a second-round pick from Boston to take on Jaden Springer’s salary, the Rockets made another similar move, absorbing the contract of Cody Zeller this season to get back a 2028 second-round pick.

Ironically, that pick is Houston’s own 2028 second-round pick that the Rockets sent to Atlanta in 2023.

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The Rockets waived Springer to make roster room for Zeller. They will likely do the same with Zeller in order to make room for a buyout signing in the coming days or weeks.

It’s a small move but it’s another good one on the margins. These second-round picks add up. The two the Rockets got in the past couple of days — Boston’s 2030 second and Houston’s own 2028 second — could be eventually combined in a deal that nets the Rockets a solid role player down the line. Houston did exactly this last season when they acquired Steven Adams from Memphis.

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So quick grade? Easy A. Solid asset management work by Rockets GM Rafael Stone and credit to Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta for being willing to spend millions just to get some extra seconds.

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Rockets Pick Up Jaden Springer, Second-Round Pick in Trade with Celtics

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Jaden Springer Houston Rockets

The NBA Trade Deadline is just over 24 hours away but the Houston Rockets have already made a move.

OK, it’s not that kind of move, but Rafael Stone and the front office did make a trade on the margins on Wednesday, picking up Jaden Springer and a 2030 second-round pick from Boston.

The Rockets leveraged their open roster spot and salary situation to take the contract of Springer off the hands of the Celtics, who are saving a ton in luxury tax payments by making the move. It’s smart business by the Rockets, who are doing this for a second-round pick in 2030.

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Now, usually a Celtics second-round pick is not worth much, but this is five years out so it’s a quality asset as far as seconds go. In today’s NBA, these kinds of picks have grown in value as key assets for being in a position to land solid role players. With the Rockets planning on being a playoff team for the next several years, this addition could prove useful in addressing future roster needs.

This trade framework between Houston and Boston may not be new to you. If you watched or listened to the ClutchFans Podcast on Monday, David Weiner, aka BimaThug, literally called out this exact possibility of the Rockets taking on Springer and landing a second-round pick.

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As for Springer himself, this was a player I liked quite a bit in the 2021 NBA Draft and I wanted the Rockets to take him at the Josh Christopher spot. He has not quite panned out just yet. He’s got good size for a point guard (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) but is not a strong playmaker and has not been incredibly accurate as a shooter (25.0% from three).

But he does have good defensive potential. Does that get Ime Udoka’s attention at all? Possibly, but the Rockets likely will get an end-of-the-bench look at him for the rest of the season before his contract expires this offseason.

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