Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
3) Houston Rockets, Ty Lawson and James Harden
Even if James Harden and Ty Lawson haven’t played a single minute of NBA basketball on the court as teammates, when one member of the backcourt is the MVP runner-up, and the other member was third in the NBA in assists per game, there was no chance this tandem was going to fall outside of the top three.
As a diehard homer, I appreciate what the Washington Wizards’ backcourt does and as big of a fan of John Wall’s and Bradley Beal’s as I am, I have to put this Rockets backcourt on paper ahead of the Wizards duo.
While this Rockets backcourt is lethal, they will face a couple of questions.
James Harden, in some senses, already plays a point guard type of role with how he initiates the offense for himself and his teammates. Will Ty Lawson having the ball less in his hands affect his overall play?
You’re also incorporating a career 36.9% 3-point shooter, whose 3-point numbers have been declining for the past two seasons and is coming off a 34.1% 3-point shooting season, to a team that led the NBA in 3-point attempts per game last season by a wide margin.
Those stats get trumped based on the quality of talent each player has supporting him now. Good players, one of whom is great, can and will figure out a way to play together. Ty Lawson also provides a welcome relief/change of pace to James Harden when he needs rest. This will allow Lawson the opportunity to control the ball and play off the dribble.
This backcourt isn’t tops in the league yet, but if the on-court chemistry can grow quickly and the off-court stays out of the picture, the Splash Brothers may be looking up to duo 12-months from now.
-written by Oz Baig
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