5 reasons Jeff Van Gundy isn’t a perfect fit for Houston Rockets
By John Buhler
2. Defensive-minded Van Gundy won’t gel with James Harden.
Is All-Star shooting guard and face of the Rockets franchise James Harden a top-15 player in the league? Absolutely, as he is one of the most gifted offensive players in the game today. He plays a ton of minutes and is in the middle of everything when Houston has the basketball.
The problem is that Harden has never really asserted himself as a strong defensive player. Is it a lack of desire to compete on that end of the floor or does it have more to do with him saving his energy while on the court because of the insane amount of minutes he has to play to make Houston competitive?
Unless Harden is fine with limiting his minutes, the relationship between he and incoming head coach Van Gundy could get ugly. Harden thrives on the offensive end of the floor. Van Gundy and all of his coaching disciples are stout supporters of strong defensive principles.
For it to work between both Harden and Van Gundy, both men will have to make compromises to get the Rockets out of their quagmire. Unfortunately for Van Gundy, Harden’s stubbornness may ultimately win out and the head coach will lose credibility with the entire Rockets locker room.
The key to righting the ship in Houston is to find the right head coach the would bring the absolute best out of Harden. Unfortunately, that guy is now coaching the Washington Wizards in Harden’s former Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks.
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