The Houston Rockets are 1-4 on the season after their latest loss and seem mystified over their early-season struggles.
Houston got blown out at home by the Los Angeles Clippers 133-113 on Friday night — their second loss of the week to the Clippers. They allowed the Clippers to shoot 54.4 percent from the field and recognize they have some defensive shortcomings.
Chris Paul said after the game that they need to figure things out.
Chris Paul on the Rockets' defensive problems: "We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and figure out what’s going to be the best solution for this team."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 27, 2018
Carmelo Anthony, who is a new addition to the team, says this season’s squad needs to create its own identity.
Melo: "We’ve just got to figure out how exactly we want to play defensively. … A lot of guys weren’t here last year, so now it’s time for us to create our own identity for what this team is and what we’re going to be moving forward."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 27, 2018
Anthony’s major issue has become his lack of mobility. He’s a defensive liability, which is why he didn’t work well on the Thunder last season. He’s up to over 30 minutes per game for Houston this year. And while he adds scoring, he’s such a negative on defense that his presence for so many minutes hurts the team.
The Rockets need James Harden to come back before they fall too far behind in the standings. Harden is expected to miss at least another game with his hamstring injury.
