How the hiatus affects all 30 NBA teams

Houston Rockets: Letting the small-ball experiment catch its breath

When the Houston Rockets decided to trade away Clint Capela, they went all in on the small-ball experiment they had already been testing, taking the league’s small-ball revolution to its next logical but most drastic step. The early dividends were promising, as a starting lineup with its tallest player being 6-foot-8 got off to a 7-2 start once Robert Covington came aboard.

Unfortunately, whether it was fatigue, teams catching on to what Houston was doing, James Harden‘s 2020 funk or all of the above, the Rockets dropped four of their next five games, including losses to three sub-.500 teams.

This extended break and a potentially shortened regular season would give the Rockets time to catch their breath and prepare for a grueling playoff run that will rely on strength, stout defense and efficient 3-point shooting to pay off. Those things all start to go when guys get tired, and if Harden can revert back to his MVP numbers — and not the .400/.310/.862 shooting splits he’s posted since the start of January — Houston could really benefit from this recharge period.