NBA Season Preview: 5 plays not even the NBA’s best defenses can stop

2. Spread pick-and-rolls with James Harden and Clint Capela

James Harden and Clint Capela were already a good pick-and-roll tandem. Harden finished last season in the 91.4 percentile in pick-and-roll scoring and Capela was only slightly less efficient as the roll man by ranking in the 83.6 percentile. The combination of Harden’s playmaking with Capela’s ability to finish over 65 percent of his shots within three feet of the basket gave them the makings of a scary one-two punch.

The only caveat was the Houston Rockets didn’t run pick-and-rolls as well as they could have — their spacing was all over the place, which contributed to Harden setting an all-time record in turnovers — and they didn’t have adequate shooting around them. While the Rockets took the second most three-pointers on the season, 18 teams shot a greater overall percentage from the perimeter, making it much easier to send multiple defenders at Harden than it should’ve been.

That’s why the additions of Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon in particular will make spread pick-and-rolls between Harden and Capela deadlier. Corey Brewer, Marcus Thornton and Jason Terry combined to shoot 34.2 percent on wide open 3-pointers last season, whereas Anderson and Gordon shot a combined 45.8 percent. We already know Harden and Capela can score with the best of them in pick-and-rolls, and there’s no longer a better option for teams to take away with some of the league’s best spot-up shooters surrounding them.