Demar DeRozan fantasy won't be enough to save the Rockets

The Rockets should be approaching this offseason with an eye on improving their offensive prowess, which has naturally led to some rumors about picking up free agent Demar DeRozan. DeRozan seems like a good option to add scoring and creation to a struggling offensive team, but his shooting and defensive concerns make him a poor fit for the Rockets.

DeRozan isn't the right solution for the Rockets

Instead of DeRozan, the Rockets would be better off adding a player who can improve their shooting while maintaining their defensive identity. Adding an aging DeRozan, who's on the wrong side of 35 and has never been a good 3-point shooter, could just make Houston's existing problems even worse. Although DeRozan is still capable of getting his own buckets, he doesn't help elevate a team's offense because of his poor off-ball impact and lackluster playmaking.

Yes, DeRozan would provide some much-needed relief in the self-creation department for the Rockets whenever Kevin Durant rests. But in other situations, DeRozan would not be very useful. He's obviously not good enough to prioritize over Durant if both share the floor, but DeRozan doesn't add value if he doesn't have the ball in his hands.

Last season, DeRozan averaged 18 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists per game while shooting 50% from the field and 32% from three. His self-creation on a struggling Kings was still very impressive, especially in the midrange. But his poor 3-point shooting and low assist numbers make his fit questionable for a team with real playoff aspirations.

The Rockets can't overlook DeRozan's flaws

Even worse, DeRozan's defense was a sore spot even on a bad Kings team. He might have averaged a steal per game, but Sacramento's defense was still much better with him off the court. That glaring deficiency led to the Kings having a much better net rating without DeRozan, despite a noticeably worse offense.

The Rockets have hung their hats on defense in recent seasons. Even when the going gets tough for them on offense, they always have a strong defense to rely upon. That defense itself can generate offense at times by forcing turnovers or runouts off misses. But bringing in DeRozan could ruin the Rockets' biggest advantage overnight.

Even in his prime with supreme athleticism, DeRozan was never the strongest defender. But that problem has gotten much worse as he's aged into his late 30s. It's hard to ask any player of his age to give consistent effort on defense, and the Rockets don't need to risk doing it with both him and Durant.

Although Demar DeRozan sounds like a nice fit on paper for the Rockets, his addition could actually ruin them. Unfortunately he's not quite good enough to make a big impact on this Houston team.

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