Houston Rockets negative #2: The offense
The Rockets’ offense has not been as bad as their defense but it has been nowhere near as lethal as expected. Per 100 possessions the Rockets are averaging 108.9 points, which has them 17th in the league.
No team that employs James Harden, John Wall, and Christian Wood should be middle of the pack on offense. However, the nuts and bolts of the Rockets offense look to be on solid footing.
Through their first six games, the Rockets are hitting a league-best 58.5-percent of their 2-point attempts. What has held them back has been their shaky 3-point shooting, which has been the fifth-worst in the league with a 32.6-percent mark.
The league average from 3-point range has been 36.3-percent this season, which if the Rockets were to hit would see them average 4 more points per 100 possessions and vault into the top-ten at 112.9 points. Unfortunately, this would still represent a step backward from their offensive ranking last season when they finished the season as the league’s sixth-most efficient offense.
Stephen Silas was brought in because of his offensive vision and the team taking a step back this season would be a poor start to his time in Houston. The Rockets’ offense will get better but they need to figure a few things out to get to where they are expected to be as a top-five offense.
Next: Positive #1