5 things DeMarre Carroll brings to the Houston Rockets

3. Defense

DeMarre Carroll also provides the Houston Rockets with stellar post-defense, which is a lethal addition considering how the Rockets already have one of the best post defenders in the league in James Harden. Carroll allowed 0.83 post-up points per possession during the 2018-19 season, which was third-best on the Nets.

Carroll also held opponents to 48 percent in the post, which was second on the Nets last season. During the 2017-18 season, Carroll allowed 0.78 points per possession in the post, which was the best on the Nets among players who played in at least 32 or more games. This would have been second on the Houston Rockets, only to James Harden.

Carroll also kept opposing players locked down in the post during that season, as he kept opponents down to a smothering 36 percent in the post. This would have been the best post defensive field goal percentage on the Rockets that season, and was 18th-best in the league among players who played in at least 73 games.

The Rockets could certainly use additional defenders, as that’s where we’ve seen them frequently collapse. But with James Harden, Robert Covington, P.J. Tucker, newcomer Bruno Caboclo, and DeMarre Carroll, the Rockets will have a stable of lockdown defenders for the rest of the season.

Next: No. 2