Houston Rockets: Believe it or not, it’s possible to stop LeBron James

Can the Houston Rockets stop LeBron?

Stopping LeBron from scoring is no easy task. As the Lakers de-facto point-guard, he is going to have the ball in his hands a lot, but fortunately, he is a willing passer. The Rockets need to give LeBron the James Harden treatment.

As soon as he crosses half-court, the Rockets need to trap him and live with the results. The Lakers’ entire offense centers on LeBron’s scoring and shot creation. LeBron’s 49.1 assist-percentage leads the Lakers by a massive margin, with the next two closest on the Lakers being Rajon Rondo at 32.9 percent and Anthony Davis at 15.1 percent.

LeBron’s passing genius is why the Lakers led the NBA in points from cuts in the regular season. However, due to the Lakers’ limited supporting cast, they were middle of the pack in spot-up shooting.

Finally, trapping LeBron will limit his opportunities as the pick and roll ball handler where he can be lethal and limit the number of pick and roll rolls for the Lakers’ massive front-court timeshare of Dwight Howard, Javale McGee, and Anthony Davis.

The Rockets need the ball out of LeBron’s hands at all costs. Trapping him early and often will help limit the opportunities where he and the Lakers’ offense are at their best. The Rockets know the Lakers’ offense runs through LeBron, but without the ball in his hands, he might as well be Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Next: Pace is Key