HOUSTON — In the final days of the 2020-21 season that left the Rockets dizzying, head coach Steven Silas had a meeting with his assistant coaches.
It's not unusual, because the members of the Teaching Assistants often stay together,—— they stay together during competitions, in training, or even on rest days—but this particular meeting is not meant to discuss anything related to the desolate and crazy year they have just experienced. By then, James Harden's series of events had drifted away from them, and the worst injuries had passed. This meeting is more about the direction of the team and the planning of the future.
Since the Rockets have only won 17 games, they clearly don't have a playoff trip in their plans. All they have is an NBA roster of hard-to-match and inexperienced young players. Although they were a mess, they could eventually dig something out of the rubble.
Most importantly, they need to figure out what to do next. Silas and his assistant coaches are well aware of which players will be on the squad next season and which won't be. For players who are going to stay and whose assistant coaches need to put some effort into developing, finding the style of play that best suits those players has become a top priority for coaches.
Last season, players like Jeshaun Tate, KJ Martin and Christian Wood, who are known for their athleticism and speed of movement, always seemed out of place in this team. But even in a terrible season, hope remains. At that time, as the playoffs approached, Silas and his assistants had one last plan — to observe the playoff teams. Each teaching assistant was assigned a series of observation and research assignments. They hope that through this practice, they will bring back some useful and important analysis or ideas for the team and the long-term future of the team.
As the playoffs progress, Rockets coaches meet regularly. They'll talk about teams that do well, take some lessons from elite teams, and try to plan for the Rockets. The ultimate goal of these gatherings is to find out what kind of team the Rockets can grow into, and how to make their players grow to a team that can compete against this level of competition.
As coaches watch the playoffs, the more they meet and the more they know that playing at offensive rate is the best way forward. At that time, although the Rockets did not know who to choose in the draft, but because of their large staff gap, it meant that next season, the team will have a lot of young players.
Therefore, they really have their reason for wanting to play fast.
Assistant coach Will Weaver said: "We tracked every round of the playoff series. I think it's a reflection of Silas's diligence and the fact that we all love to share our insights with each other. This is probably the most interesting point we have as teaching assistants, which gives us the opportunity to hear the unique insights of all of us about our team. ”
Speeding up — there's no pun here — isn't a completely new philosophy for this team. During the 17-win season, the Rockets ranked in the league's top five offensive rates, alongside young teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma Thunder. Even back in the years when Mike D'Antoni was in charge, they were never unfamiliar with speeding up. After 2000, the Phoenix Suns led by D'Antoni attracted national attention with their running and bombing offense. From 2005 to 2008, the "7-second offense" was often used to describe the offensive pace led by Hall of Fame point guard Steven Nash.
In the 2016-17 season, D'Antoni, who had just joined the Rockets, saw some Nash shadow in Harden, which prompted D'Antoni to transform Harden from a quarterback to a point guard. That season, the Rockets were the third fastest in the league (according to Second Spectrum, the Rockets scored 100.55 points per 100 rounds). The following season, Chris Paul joined the team, bringing his patient, calm playing style to the team. That year, the Rockets won 65 regular season games, but their offensive pace dropped to mid-league levels. (98.02 points per 100 rounds)
However, when the Rockets began to slow down, the rest of the league was gradually speeding up. A year later, the Rockets became the 4th slowest offensive team in the NBA. By 2019, after the Rockets replaced Paul with Russell Westbrook, the situation had clearly changed, and the team's offensive speed had reached the second fastest in the league, behind the Milwaukee Bucks.
A few seasons ago, the NBA adjusted the rules for secondary offense, and the offensive time of the secondary offense was adjusted from 24 seconds to 14 seconds. In theory, the new rules could increase the rate of attack, but in practice, it forced teams to play coherently in the game. If the Rockets played the pace they expected, it would be difficult for them to try and replicate D'Antoni's 7-second or even shorter offense — and that would require a lot of game experience and skill.
So what about 14 seconds?
Weaver said: "Because under the current rules, the offensive time is reset to 14 seconds after grabbing offensive rebounds, so in my opinion, it is very easy for the team to return to the state of the 24-second offensive round. I think that's what more and more modern basketball educators are embracing. The change of rules, while promoting and changing some important aspects of the game, also gives us the opportunity to put these ideas into practice in training. ”
Looking back at league history, playing fast alone doesn't always make a team successful in the regular season. Last season, only one of the top ten teams in terms of offensive rate — the championship-winning Bucks — ended the regular season with at least 40 wins. Six out of ten teams have negative net efficiency values.
The Rockets' current players are still in their infancy, and many of the team's young players have played under a fast-paced offensive system; most of them prefer to play faster than slower tactical calls. However, the NBA is a not very different ball game, and it requires the team to do a lot of work, do a lot of training, and master a lot of knowledge.
So in the offseason, they put into work early. In regular training and intra-team training matches at the Toyota Center, coaches have been emphasizing speed. During the summer, Silas visited a number of players, notably Wood and John Wall. In the conversations they had, their desire for speed was so clear. However, to achieve this goal, players need to be at their best on a physical level. At the same time, this type of offense requires players to be able to make quick decisions as they move forward.
On the night of the draft, the Rockets selected Jaylen Green with the second pick, which further cemented their pursuit of offensive speed. Green is considered the most explosive and talented player in this rookie season. While his scoring abilities are only a giveaway, his ability to ignite offense and frighten defenders binds him tightly to the Rockets. Taking off dodgy flanker Josh Christopher and Turkey's genius Alperen Shenkin will only increase the Rockets' need for speed. When you put these rookies on teams made up of David Nuwaba, Daniel House, Tate and Martin — and Kevin Porter Jr. — with full potential — it's like "adding fuel to the fire."
During the summer league in Las Vegas, specific plans for this season are gradually taking shape. At the time, Weaver was tasked with leading the team through an important transition period. At the same time, although the summer league's confrontation is not strong, it is still a good opportunity to test the team's style of play.
Weaver said, "We were hoping. We can instill our tactical philosophy into new players and then let them bring that knowledge to the regular season. ”
As the game progressed, Weaver wrote down how Green worked with the other players. He found some possible solutions, and also found opportunities to correct problems or better educate them. These performance-type events were used as valuable experimental lessons.
Back in the preseason, Silas and his teaching assistants knew all too well that the Rockets' offensive pace depended heavily on Green and Porter's ability to handle the ball. But a large part of it depends on the other players on the pitch. In some cases, after picking up a rebound, Wood quickly takes the ball to the front and passes it to the defender immediately. At one turn, Wood quickly approached Green, who received the ball and immediately made the next move to put pressure on the opponent's defensive end. That's exactly what the Rockets want to see.
Weaver said: "We didn't make that round in the end, but we still passed the ball to the opponent's basket within 3 seconds and created a foul on the other side. The minutiae of the work done by the players in unison is just as important as the work done by the ball carriers, which is what fans watch most of the game. ”
"14 seconds! 14 seconds! ”
"Isn't it, what are we playing?" Unite and go on! ”
The Rockets' chief assistant coach, John Lucas, echoed in a hoarse voice near the baseline as he oversaw the team's training sessions in the early afternoon. At some point, the players look smart, other times they expose inexperienced problems. If at times his words sound like he's targeting a particular player, you're right. Lucas is a big fan of the Rockets' speed-up and he has a lot of trust in the backcourt combination of Green and Porter. He cares a lot about these young players and wants to inspire them to their best.
Lucas said: "We're getting better and we have to make fewer mistakes, but we've been moving the ball from side to side and keeping the players moving. Our athletic talent is one of our talents. ”
Early indications are that these players are capable and want to play faster. In Thursday's game against the Jazz, the Rockets ranked 10th in the league (21.0). The problem, however, is that their conversion score ranks fifth from the bottom of the league, and the Rockets' (in 100 rounds) scores only 0.92 points per round, ranking 14th in the league. Much of this boils down to the missteps they make.
Silas said, "We've been nagging about this many times. Our attack rate is good, but our recombination power is really not high. We want to make sure that we always have people in the bottom corner, that our break-through lines are unimpeded, and that sort of thing. These are the things that we have to build and learn. I'm happy with our rate of attack and the number of rounds we have to take advantage of. ”
Of course, the Rockets still have aspects that deserve optimism. They rank 6th in the league in offensive speed (104.25 points per 100 possessions, behind the Hornets, who rank 5th). They are in the league's top 10 in both effective shooting percentage (53.8 percent) and true shot percentage (56.7 percent). These are also two important signs that the team is on the right track with 1 win and 4 losses.
The Rockets' youthfulness gave them the innate advantage of playing fast, but the offensive rate is not all related to age. In the case of the Los Angeles Lakers, the starting lineup of Westbrook, Kent Bazemore, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and DeAndre Jordan has the second-highest offensive rate in the league in a fivesome that plays at least 20 minutes or more (111.7 points per 100 possessions).
The Rockets' most commonly used lineup — the "core four" including Tate — ranks first in the league with an offensive rate of 101.8 points per 100 possessions, but it's more about the fact that they play too little time together than their lack of ability. They have the ability to be a destructive team in terms of speed. Green is like a lightning rod, Potter is agile and fast, Tate is like a shredder on the field, and Wood wants to play every offensive turn dominated by him. Different squad combinations have already brought them positive results, and offensively minded players like Shin Kyung, Nuwaba, Gordon and House have been speeding up their attacking pace. Everything is proceeding in an orderly manner.
Silas said: "We are slowly adapting to all this. We're still learning a lot and still watching new things. We are always growing and learning. For us, every new experience is valuable. ”
The Rockets averaged 13.7 seconds per possession per possession, ranking 8th in the league, perfectly fit their advocacy of "14 seconds or even less" offense. And their offensive efficiency is one area they need to focus on improving, because as of now, they have averaged only 1.04 points per game per game, ranking third from the bottom in the league. History tells us that faster teams tend to play better offense, so in that respect alone, the Rockets have built up their advantage.
If there's anything that Russ emphasizes about playing faster than that matters, it's definitely defensive. Ever since the Rockets opened their training camp at Galveston, he's been talking about how the young team will grow into a team that can often block opponents' offense. That sounds like a good thing — a fast team that can both play a great defensive role and use their physical talents to inflict damage on opponents.
The data is also enough to support such a view. The Rockets generally play extremely fast offensive speed after playing excellent defensive rounds. After grabbing a defensive rebound, the Rockets' possession time dropped to 10.8 seconds in the next offensive round, ranking 13th in the league. In these offensive rounds, they score 1.11 points per game, ranking 12th in the league. If mistakes are removed, the number becomes even crazier. Without missteps, the Rockets only need 7.4 seconds per game to complete the offense, which is 6th in the league. Their efficiency jumped to 1.26 points per game (10th). With the field's offensive space more open, the Rockets were so dangerous that their offense was over in the blink of an eye.
Potter said, "We're playing faster. When the ball is moving, we play our offensive rate and shooting rounds and things like that. We're not a static team, and we don't want to be stereotyped. We just want to be a faster-paced team in attack. ”
Lucas added: "That's the speed we want to play. Because we're fast, once we can stop the opponent's offense and grasp the gap between attack and defense transitions, then we'll easily reach the basket to score. When we lose the upper hand in physical confrontation, we have to seize those empty shooting opportunities. ”
They are still a long way from improving their defensive level. The problem they're solving now is that they have more than half of their offensive rounds ending with shooting. This also shows from the side that their defense is not good enough. The Rockets gave Wolves 124 points and the Lone Rangers 116 points. So they can only play better, faster, simpler offense if they play a more aggressive and reasonable defense.
In a game where the Rockets' defense struggled, so did their offense, eventually having to make more tactical calls to replace the kind of free and fast offense that would highlight their advantage.
Green said: "To be honest, on nights like this, I just want to make a game reading and create empty opportunities for my teammates. I'm still young, and at the same time, I'm trying to figure it all out. It's going to take some time, we've played five games and we have a lot of games to play. ”
All in all, it's a good sign for a young team that's looking for identity and goals. If you give the Rockets a chance, they'll want to be a team that's working hard in the arena. They've shown a certain offensive threat in the game, and the key is how they put it all together.
Silas said: "One of the things we're doing right now is trying to play. We can't always do the right thing, but we'll keep trying, and that would be a good first step. ”