When the Rockets' Harden and Gordon were called the "double-boarding combination" by fans, whenever Paul was injured and absent, then Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni would always let Gordon start with Harden, and even when Paul was absent in the last two games of the 2018 Western Conference Finals, Gordon was also placed in the starting No. 2 position. The situation now is that Gordon remains with the Rockets, but Harden went to the Nets this season.
After a fairly successful season, Harden's form this season is very sluggish, although the Nets' record is not bad, but Harden's performance is not uplifting. Harden, who scored 30 and 40 points in a single game, is now difficult to even score 20 points, on the one hand, it is related to Harden's decline in status, on the other hand, it is also related to the league's scale of foul blowing.
Looking at the performance of this season alone, the Rockets' Gordon seems to be better than the Nets' Harden. In 4 games, the Rockets' record is only 1 win and 3 losses, but Gordon's performance in 3 games is completely quasi-All-Star level. In addition to the bad statistics in the game against the Celtics, Gordon did not play in the other 3 games. In 4 games, in 25.5 minutes per game, Gordon can contribute 15.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists, shooting 53.8%, 55.6% and 81.8% of the three shooting rates, respectively, for a player in the backcourt, such shooting rate and offensive efficiency is indeed first-class.
But the Rockets' record is still only one win, and Gordon, as the sixth man of the Rockets, really can't bring this team that is weak and difficult to return. Porter Jr. and Jaylen Green played well and badly, with inside Wood thinking of himself as a Jokic-esque super center who loved to hold the ball in his hand and attack himself. Even if Gordon tried his best, he couldn't take the Rockets with him. When talking about the Rockets' losing streak, Gordon also said something.
"We worked hard but weren't smart enough. We made a lot of bad decisions on the pitch and I know it's because we're a young team and a lot of people are playing important roles that they haven't played before. As long as we get out of this stage, don't make mistakes at this stage, don't shoot some bad balls, I have expectations for everyone, because people are starting to understand this. Gordon said.
We know that the Rockets' backcourt double stars are Porter and Green, and the "no mistakes" that Gordon talked about is probably referring to Porter Jr., who averaged 6.25 turnovers per game; and what Gordon said, not shooting some bad balls, seems to be alluding to Jaylen Green, after all, Green's shooting percentage is not high, and some shooting options are also somewhat reluctant. If Porter Jr. could be made to fewer turnovers and Green's shooting options smarter, the Rockets seemed poised to bounce back.
Although it is not explicit, Gordon's words also seem to allude to the rocket's two new nuclear weapons in the backcourt, which need to promote their rapid growth through these failures. The Rockets don't have a good record for the time being, but didn't Gordon say that he still has hope. Without a one-time record, the Rockets should take a long-term view, as Gordon said, and a few losses do not mean anything.