There were two plays in particular in Monday night’s win over the Thunder that offered hope as to why Houston might have a chance this season:
Above, Lawson is clearly looking for Harden at the initiation of the sequence. When the latter is held by Durant, Lawson simply uses the tangle to slip past both men and duck to the basket for the uncontested hoop.
Here, Lawson goes on his own, not waiting for the green light. While the play results in a turnover, it created two wide open looks–one for Thornton, then one for Ariza–and probably would have created a third one had there been a man in that left corner. They won’t always pass up those looks and with time, Lawson will learn the system and know where to expect his teammates to be.
Had this been last year, in the second clip, Harden gets it again, having to initiate on another consecutive possession. The first play doesn’t even develop with Harden held. Beverley or Terry would have scrambled around, forced into a desperation shot. That was the outcome we saw time and time again when James couldn’t get free. The team just couldnt get a good shot.
For the most part, the Rockets have looked dreadful in these first four games. But, as indicated in the above two plays, there are glimpses of hope.
