3 Areas where the Houston Rockets need to improve in the 2nd half of the season

The Houston Rockets rocked the waters last off-season when they packaged Chris Paul and a bunch of first-round picks for Russell Westbrook after Paul George decided to join Kawhi Leonard in LA. This reunion between Harden and his friend has made some improvements in some aspects of the team but has also magnified some holes that the Rockets need to address.

While the Rockets have gained an elite slasher and hustler in Brodie, they have also lost an elite playmaker and defender in CP3. With the first half of the season now over, here are some areas the Houston Rockets need to improve on going forward.

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#1 Ball movement

Houston Rockets v Los Angeles Clippers

The Rockets' offense revolves around chucking threes and making layups, and their small-ball lineups obviously fit this scheme. However, for a team that plays three, and sometimes even four guards, they sure are bad at playmaking and moving the ball.

One criticism for the Rockets is that one player holds onto the ball too much, while everyone else stands and waits for a possible pass. This is especially true for their star player, James Harden. Yes, we know just how elite he is at scoring in stepbacks and isos. After all, he is averaging 36.1 points per game this season, a whole 6.1 points ahead of the second-highest scorer in the league. However, it's become obvious that teams have somehow figured out how to contain the Rockets' offense by targeting The Beard.

Teams have started trapping him as far as the half-court line, forcing him to pass the ball to his teammates and making them be the decision-makers for the play. This becomes a problem for Houston as they do not exactly have the highest basketball IQ players in their roster. There have also been several occasions where Harden was too far out from the play that his teammates have to make do with just four players on the floor. Harden needs to learn how to contribute off-ball.

Westbrook can, of course, facilitate, but his lack of reliable shooting makes their offense predictable. Teams can just clog the paint when he attacks and rotate to the perimeter player when he decides to pass for a three. This isn't the worst per se, as Westbrook is actually doing a good job of moving the ball and getting his teammates going. However, what happens now when he's on the bench? Who else can handle the ball and not look to always score first?

The Rockets should take advantage of their small size and speed to move around and not just wait in their spot. The kind of offense they have now becomes sort of 'accidental'. They do not seem to have a set play that they deliberately execute, rather, they dribble a lot, pass the ball, and hope that the last person makes the shot before the clock winds down.

With an elite paint attacker in Westbrook and a team full of shooters, the Houston Rockets should be making it rain in assists and moving the ball to confuse the defense. However, that is not happening right now, and this type of offense can be extremely troublesome come playoff time.

#2 Size

Houston Rockets v Los Angeles Clippers

The Rockets have one of the smallest lineups in the league right now. That is of course not the worst thing per se, but their lack of size affects areas like their perimeter defense and rebounding. Some lineups have already trapped PJ Tucker at center and a guard like Austin Rivers at power forward. This puts a lot of toll on the players as they have to work extra hard to keep their team afloat against bigger and stronger opponents.

Mike D'Antoni keeps a tight rotation in the regular season and an even tighter one in the playoffs. Putting extra pressure and load on players during the regular season can be pretty wearisome even before the postseason has started.

Houston could look to trade for an elite wing defender before the trade deadline to improve this roster. It's pretty obvious that the team needs a bigger guy in the roster as their perimeter defense isn't the best in the league. When you lack perimeter defense, you either give up a bunch of threes or force your center to put in extra effort as the last line of defense.

Furthermore, an improved size can also help in the rebounding woes of the Rockets. We've seen Westbrook be a rebounding machine in OKC, and this had led to multiple fastbreak opportunities for the Thunder. An improved rebounding can do the same for the Rockets. With a small and speedy lineup like they have, rebounding and starting a fastbreak can lead to lots of easy points for the Rockets.

#3 Bench scoring

Shanghai Sharks v Houston Rockets

The Rockets may have guys capable of scoring 50 points in Harden and Westbrook, but contributions from the bench are another story. Right now, they are second to the last in the league in bench scoring at 27 points and were even dead last at some point in the season. It may not seem obvious right now, but having to rely on your starters to keep the team afloat can put a toll on an already overworked starting lineup.

The bench needs to step it up if they want to help their team end up with a higher playoff seed. We also have to go back to the first area they have to improve on, which is ball movement. The Rockets have to figure out how to get the bench guys going and not keep the ball to themselves. The bench needs playmakers that deliberately run plays to get them open shots. Those coming off the bench do not need to be elite level, but smarter plays from them and for them can take them to another level.

Whether the Rockets decide to trade for a better bench or let them play it out this year, a more reliable contribution from them takes much load off the starters physically and mentally.