Rockets: Durant & Finney s three-point shooting can open up space and solve the problem of half-time offense

Today, Rockets record Iko posted a message talking about new players Durant and Smith. He said that the two can help the team open up space to solve the projection problem. The following is some of the content.

The Rockets were eliminated early in the playoffs. In addition to lack of experience, the biggest problem was that their half-time space and three-point shooting problems throughout the season reached their peak.

Obviously, the Rockets need to improve significantly on the offensive end, not just relying on offensive rebounds. With Durant and Dorian Finney Smith, the Rockets are expected to be one of the most efficient half-court offensive teams in the league and one of the deadliest outside shooting teams.

Let's take a look at Durant first. Despite the many chaos that the Suns experienced last season, they remained a top 10 team in the half-time offensive, thanks largely to Durant and his stability. According to Cleaning the Glass, when Durant was on the court, the Suns' offensive efficiency increased by 6.2 points and had an impact of 90%. Durant's team's effective shooting percentage will increase by 6 percentage points, which is a trend he shows in every former club.

Of course, this does not mean that there is no pain of growth, especially in training camps and early regular seasons, where a natural adjustment period is expected, as a team that adopts equal opportunity offenses now needs to turn to a player who regularly holds the ball. Durant's usage rate has always been above 93%. Few great players at 36 years old can change their playing style overnight—which means fewer touch opportunities for Shin Kyung, Van Vreet and Amen. But this trade-off can bring huge rewards.

Last season, the Rockets made 77% of their three-pointers at the top of the arc, similar to Durant's shooting distribution (76%), with his three-point shooting percentage of 40.8%. Although the corner threes are the shortest and seemingly most efficient outside shot, the Rockets are not one of those teams that design tactics for these areas.

Looking at Finney Smith again, the Rockets have obtained an experienced forward who can shoot three-pointers and defend. He played against the Rockets twice when he played for the Lakers, making 12 of 20 three-pointers. Whether in Brooklyn or Los Angeles, Finney Smith's offensive efficiency improved by 10.8 and 9.3 points respectively.

Because of his lack of real ball-holding skills, he can pull space and hit the shot, which makes him a valuable asset. Finney Smith shot 42.9%, 43.5% and 39.9% from three-pointers in both corners and top of the arc. When facing regional defense, the Rockets no longer need to force the problem or test it out because they know there are high-quality shooters on the outside.

As the Rockets turn their focus to fighting for the championship next season, new players should be given a certain adaptation period. But assuming the Rockets maintain their defensive advantage, coupled with real space makers like Durant and Finney Smith, should be able to completely solve their problems in the half-court offense.