3. Stagnant Offensive Sets
Anthony is arguably one of the smoothest and most gifted scorers this league has ever seen. However, the impeccable skill set that Melo has will not help the Houston Rockets defeat the Golden State Warriors. During free agency, the team lost Trevor Ariza, who was a key piece to last season’s success.
Ariza may not have averaged over 15 points like Melo. Nonetheless, he was able to commit to both sides of the floor and play any role the team needed. Last year in OKC, Anthony struggled to accept being the third scoring option and it showed.
The Thunder struggled to space the floor, run a solid offense and avoid high volumes of isolation basketball. With the Thunder, Anthony had a 22.6 usage percentage. George averaged a 25.4 usage percentage in addition to Westbrook’s 33.2.
In OKC the big three struggled to make the unselfish pass on a consistent basis. Last season it seemed like each player was taking turns scoring (like the big three in Miami once upon a time). When you look at last year’s Thunder team and compare them to this year’s Rockets team, it’s safe to assume that Melo may struggle if he starts.
Start or Come off the Bench?
If Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni decides to start the Syracuse product, there may be some struggles with ball movement. Both of Anthony’s new teammates in Chris Paul and James Harden need the ball in order to be effective.
Paul and Harden silenced the critics last season as they were able to share the ball and run the offense. However, adding another ball-dominant player may be a difficult task to overcome. At the end of the 2017-18 season, Paul averaged a 24.8 usage percentage (which is fair due to his role as PG).
On the other hand, Harden finished the 2017-18 season with a 36.1 usage percentage. Granted, both players can create their own shot, move without the ball and score on all three levels. In order to advance to the NBA Finals, the Houston Rockets need to establish balance on both sides of the floor. Adding Anthony to the starting lineup will affect floor spacing, create more isolation basketball and cause the ball to stick on offense.
Clearly, Houston relies on isolation basketball to score a majority of their points. But this Rockets team is dangerous when they pass the ball around, run the break and defend.
Next Up: No. 2
