After the adjustment of the offseason, the Rockets' rebuilding in the new season is highly anticipated, and after regaining the small-ball tactics, the Rockets have more changes on the offensive end. However, after the start of the new season, the Rockets did not have a record of hand after winning the equally weak Thunder, and a wave of 6 consecutive losses made the Rockets stand on the cusp of public opinion again.
Silas's tactical adjustments to the Rockets last season have not had any effect, and the re-use of small-ball tactics in the new season, in addition to Silas's change in tactics, is also because the Rockets have more young players on the outside. However, in the Rockets' small-ball tactics today, there is no top breaker like Harden, and when the 5 players on the field are standing outside the three-point line, this is not the conventional mode of small-ball tactics.
If the lack of rocket capabilities on the outside can be filled by the inside, it can be alleviated, but in the rotation of the inner line, the rocket does not have a very good solution. In order to give the team an efficient rotation ability on the offensive end, Silas continued to put Wood in the starting center position, but when Wood held the ball, he rarely sought to cooperate and block the cover, and this blind personal singles obviously destroyed the Rockets' offensive rhythm.
Green on the outside is the Rockets' focus on this season, and the Rockets regard him as the next Harden-like player, but Green's ups and downs on the offensive end can't make the Rockets really feel at ease on the offensive end. Green's shooting percentage is not stable, especially at the three-point line, and it is constant. Even though Green had a performance of 8 of 10 three-pointers in a single game, the lack of stable outside shooting rate still made the Rockets' five small tactics unable to show their power.
Silas's adjustment to the Rockets' small-ball tactics today is clearly following the small-ball tactics of D'Antoni. But in the Rockets' small-ball tactics, there was Paul holding the ball in tandem on the outside, Harden looking for opportunities to break through, while Gordon and Tucker would run back and forth on both sides of the bottom line to find opportunities for empty shots. There is also Capela on the inside to compete for rebounds in the front court and empty connections after blocking and dismantling, which is the real essence of small-ball tactics.
If Silas wants to get back to his original small-ball tactics, then after determining the core of the outside line, he needs to make adjustments on the inside line, and rookie Shin Kyung is a suitable candidate. Although Shin Kyung is only a rookie player, but in the European League, Shen Kyung has gained a lot of game experience, he knows how to find the opponent's defensive gaps, and in terms of playing style, Shin Kyung's three-point and tandem ability can become an important part of the Rockets' small-ball tactics.
Small-ball tactics have been key to the Rockets' rise in recent years, and in the small-ball system, the role of inside players is very important. The Rockets' small-ball tactics should not blindly rely on the play of outside players, but should adopt a combination of internal and external lines, and only by making up for the shortcomings in each position can the Rockets' small-ball tactics show their effectiveness. Only in this way can the rocket successfully complete the reconstruction.