Rockets: What the rotation for the playoffs might look like

With the playoffs fast approaching, let’s look at what the rotation may look like when the games get important.

Historically, the rotation of a team gets much smaller come playoff time. That was certainly the case for last year’s Rockets. The rotation last season dropped from around 10 players down to 7-8 players that D’Antoni trusted the most.

This season might just look a little bit different for the Rockets.

Not only are the Rockets a much better team with the addition of Chris Paul, but they are also a much deeper team as a whole. Houston might be a team that breaks the mold and uses more players this postseason.

What could the rotation look like in a couple of weeks?

Potential rotation

Starters: Chris Paul/James Harden/Trevor Ariza/P.J. Tucker/Clint Capela

Bench: Eric Gordon/Gerald Green/Luc Mbah a Moute/Ryan Anderson/Nene Hilario

Coach D’Antoni definitely likes to use CP3 and/or Harden at all times, so that may cause some interesting rotations. Likely, Anderson and Nene will split minutes depending on matchups.

For example, if the opposing team has multiple good big men, like Portland or maybe San Antonio, Nene will play more. Ryno would play more against small ball teams or if the Rockets are needing some more shooting and floor spacing on the court.

Gerald Green has pretty much solidified his playoff rotation spot and D’Antoni confirmed that last night. He will likely take most if not all of the minutes away from Joe Johnson and Joe becomes more of a veteran presence for the team. Johnson can play if needed at most any position, and that will be valuable for the Rockets should an injury happen or if someone is playing poorly.

If D’Antoni reverts to a smaller rotation, Green and Anderson would likely be the first to lose minutes. We’ll have to see what happens in the middle of April!

The Raptors

The Toronto Raptors are another team that will play a deep rotation come playoff time. They have a just as, if not more so, deep team as Houston and will likely look to play 10 guys or so. Should these two teams meet in the Finals, we could see a very unorthodox playoff series.

What do you think the playoffs will look like this season for Houston?

Next: Gerald Green has earned a playoff rotation spot