Houston Rockets: Should Ryan Anderson continue coming off the bench?

Last game, Ryan Anderson came off of the bench. He had his best home game of the year.

Ryan Anderson came back from a brief one-game absence due to sickness last night against the Knicks. Since he hadn’t had much practice this week, Coach D’Antoni decided to have Ryno come off of the bench. The rest is history.

Ryan Anderson had his best game at home of the year. He almost single-handedly kept the Rockets in the game and helped them come back in the second quarter.

That performance last night begs the question: should Ryan Anderson continue to come off of the bench for the Rockets?

Let’s look at why he should and why he shouldn’t:

Why Ryan Anderson should come off the bench

Ryan Anderson has performed wonderfully this season when paired with Chris Paul. Putting him with the bench unit will get him even more minutes with CP3 and make the second team more dangerous. Also, if it can somehow get Ryno to shoot better at home, then the Rockets should be all about him coming off the bench.

The Chris Paul-Ryan Anderson relationship is something real. He's averaging almost 7 assists strictly to him per 36 minutes. 2-for-2 from distance for Ryno here in the first.

— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) November 26, 2017

P.J. Tucker is also a viable option to start in place of Anderson. He can stretch the floor well and plays better defense. While the starting 5 didn’t start very well last night, they did a better job in the 3rd quarter, especially defensively.

The bench is very stacked on the defensive end of the court. By inserting Tucker or Luc Mbah a Moute into the starting 5, the Rockets can spread out the offense and defense throughout the rotation. Even potentially throwing Eric Gordon in the starting lineup could be interesting. EG was great starting for Houston earlier this year but has struggled since his move to the bench.

Why Ryan Anderson shouldn’t come off the bench

Ryan Anderson has almost always started since he has been in Houston. He has a habit of starting games by burying the opposition with 3-point shots. While his defense is not as good as others, his offense and floor spacing are top-notch.

Speaking of floor spacing, he is much better at that than Tucker or Mbah a Moute. While they are both competent 3-point shooters, Ryan Anderson is one of the best stretch 4s in the league. That is why the Rockets should keep Ryno where he is in the starting lineup. The spacing he provides to begin games makes it almost impossible to guard the likes of James Harden and Chris Paul. Either they get layups or Anderson gets a wide open 3.

What do you think the Rockets should do? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter.

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