Trending News|February 27, 2015 12:09 EST
Houston Rockets NBA 2015 News, Rumors: No Dwight Howard? No Problem for Rockets Defense
The Houston Rockets are sitting at third in the murderously competitive Western Conference. They've managed that impressive standing despite playing without starting center Dwight Howard in their last 13 games. For the season, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year has only played in 32 of the Rockets' 57 games. So how have they been doing it?
It's easy to point to the season leading MVP contender James Harden is having. The impossibly shifty lefty has yet to miss a game (although he is listed as doubtful Friday against the Brooklyn Nets), and is averaging a league-leading 27.2 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.9 assists.
But even Harden would be quick to admit, this team is far from being a one, or even two-trick pony.
"Obviously Dwight brings so much to this team and you can't just replace him, but we are going to play the same way we always do," Harden told the Houston Chronicle when it was reported that Howard could miss up to eight weeks due to an edema in his right knee.
"We play the same way with Dwight, without Dwight. We have a system and whoever is in that lineup, they know their role and have to play to the best of their abilities."
Bleacher Report points out that the Rockets ability to still play great defense even without Howard has been key.
In the first 44 games, The Rockets were 10th in opponent FG% (44.4), ninth in Opponent eFG% (48.6), and fifth in defensive rating (99.8).
During the last 13 games without Howard, their ranks in the respective categories"”eighth, sixth, and sixth.
There also hasn't been a break in their schedule during that period as Bleacher Report points out that eight of the 13 games have come against playoff teams, with eight games similarly coming against teams with a top-10 ranked offense.
"The biggest thing is guys have bought in and are committed on that end of the floor," Rockets assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff told the Associated Press. "Now you hear guys in tight games saying, "We're one of the best defensive teams in the league. Let's get a stop. This is what we do."
