If there are any things we have learned by watching the Houston Rockets after nearly two months of NBA basketball, it's these things:
First, James Harden can score. Big.
Second, Jeremy Lin can still score, and effectively.
Third, the Rockets can score as a team better than almost any other.
And finally, the Rockets can't defend. At all.
And that last one could spell doom for their playoff aspirations if they don't do something to fix it. And soon.
Aside from only the dynamic Oklahoma City Thunder, who lead the league in scoring (105.1 points per game), the Rockets are outgunning everyone in the NBA, scoring at a rate of 104.8 points per game for second in the NBA.
Behind the fast-paced, pass-heavy offense of Houston (10th in the league with assists, fifth-best in the Western Conference with 22.2 per game) and their youth and athleticism, the Rockets have been on a tear. At least six Rockets players--all five starters and reserve Marcus Morris--have been averaging double figures in scoring, while led by the explosive Harden.
That's the good news.
The bad news, however, comes on the other side of the court--defense.
As good as Houston is on offense, they are just as awful in stopping teams from scoring, allowing opponents to score 104.8 points against them. That's the second worst team defensive statistic in the league, second only to the lowly Charlotte Bobcats (7-18 win-loss record).
What's really hurt them, however?
Turnovers.
The Rockets have given the ball back 16.2 times per game, the worst turnover rate of any team in the NBA. That means 16 times, Houston gives their opponents a chance to score again on any given night, a potential 32 to 48 points that they are risking tallying against themselves.
Those lapses have cost them dearly. They allowed Miami to score 113 points on them despite Houston scoring 110 points of their own on a normally stringent Heat defense in a Nov. 12 loss to the defending world champions. It cost them the Dec. 10 game against San Antonio where Lin scored a magnificent 38 points that night. In fact, in 14 of their 25 NBA games this season, the Rockets have allowed opponents to score 100 or more points against them.
That's not a trend that bodes promisingly in a Western Conference where seven of its teams, not counting the Rockets - Dallas, Golden State, LA Clippers, Denver, LA Lakers, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City - are in the Top 10 in scoring at over 100 points per game. Most of those teams are currently playoff contenders.
Even Rockets coach Kevin McHale has noted that there needs to be a tougher stance on defense from his team.
"I've often felt in this league if you don't beat yourself you put yourself into a position to win a lot of games. Now, do you win them? No. But you're not giving away games," he told the Houston Chronicle.
And with a third of the NBA season already having passed, giving away games is not something that Houston can afford to do down the stretch, particularly in March and April, where every game is critical towards making the playoffs or getting solid playoff positioning.
The fact is, with their offense, the Rockets should be blowing out teams by a large number. But they need to clog the holes in their porous defense to do it. If they don't figure out how, then they will pay dearly for it come April.