Three-point percentage is often thought of as a barometer for spacing, and for good reason: The higher a team’s percentage, the riskier it is for opposing teams to roam away from the shooters. Legitimate shooters pose a threat from a range of distances, splitting focus for defenders and opening opportunities for their teammates. But what […]
For almost a decade, the Houston Rockets lived at the forefront of innovation in the NBA. Since 2012, when they acquired James Harden, the Rockets have tried to solve basketball by both shifting the foundation over which the game is played and acquiring complementary talent to suit those ends. Those quests brought the Rockets to […]
There are many reasons to be bullish about Houston’s odds to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy: The team possesses top-tier talent, it uses a mathematically advantageous playing style and FiveThirtyEight’s model currently gives the Rockets a 26 percent chance to win it all — second in the league behind the Boston Celtics. But the […]