Opponent Scouting: Houston Rockets (5-4)

The Pistons try to continue the positive vibes.

Following a thrilling win over the Hawks, the Pistons this afternoon at 3:00 pm EST the Pistons will be hosting the Houston Rockets. Both teams are on one day of rest with the Pistons coming off the aforementioned one-point victory while the Rockets are coming off a shellacking at the hands of Oklahoma City.

The Them:

The Rockets are looking like a solid, if not awesome, team this season. Currently sitting with a 5-4 record that feels correct for them, sitting with the 9th best net rating in the league (+4.5) featuring the NBA’s 10th best offense and 7th best defense. It isn’t that unfair to suggest that the Rockets are basically the Pistons but one year ahead, although I think it's fair to suggest that Cade Cunningham feels better as a centerpiece going forward than anyone the Rockets have.

They are led, similarly to the Pistons, by a solid mix of young talent and steady veterans. Jalen Green is a dynamic scorer who shoots buckets of threes but exactly how effective he is as a lead scorer is is a bit of an open question, I will always lean towards the eye test of “this guy gets buckets” but the fact is that he is middling a middling TS% (just 53%) and continued lack of passing chops (just 3 assists against 2.3 turnovers per game) is harder to excuse when you’re scoring 22 points per game instead of something closer to 30. That said, he’s always a danger, trying to make him a jump shooter is ideal but its tricky because he can kill you with threes.

Fellow youngster Jabari Smith is not bad, but so far hasn’t really come into his own scoring less than 12 points per game and shooting below 30% from deep. Despite that, the former 3rd overall pick plays good defense for a young player and clearly has talent as a scorer. Amen Thompson is another guy who’s shown real promise but hasn’t exactly put that promise into overly positive on-floor results. Alperen Sengun is a strange piece because he clearly can really play and has a unique skill-set as a big man (all of which is season averages of 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists can attest to) and yet it feels like the team would rather use other players as the focal point on offense and Sengun isn’t exactly a defensive anchor.

Tari Eason brings energy and buckets to the wing off the bench for the Rockets, Reed Shepard can shoot a bit but generally the bench is an issue for this team.

All in all the Rockets are a solid team, they have some genuine talent and some tough veterans. They play smart, disciplined ball on both ends of the floor and do a decent job of not beating themselves.

Matchups to watch:

• Pistons vs. Sengun: Duren currently listed as doubtful which means this will mostly be Isaiah Stewart, but Sengun is a dangerous and tricky offensive player. He’s a smart passer and an effective scorer that can also draw fouls. Especially if the Pistons are going to be a man down at center, it will be important to not just defend effectively, but without fouling.

• Cade and Ivey vs. Keeping it up: We don’t need to get too far out ahead of ourselves, but if nothing else it is starting to feel like the next few years will at least be watchable because Cunningham and Ivey are ballers, this remains the most important thing for the entire season. So far, so good.

• Simone Fontecchio vs. Shooting the ball: Fontecchio doesn’t play a ton so it isn’t a huge deal, but surely at some point, he’s going to play better than this. Although there would be some irony to the idea that one of the few Troy Weaver moves most people thought was actually pretty good ends up not working out.

• Jaden Ivey vs. Jalen Green: Two explosive players, Green takes more jumpers than Ivey but there are many similarities to the games of these two. Could be an exciting matchup of high-flying energy.

• The role players vs. Shooting: An extension of the Fontecchio point, but other than Hardaway and Ivey the Pistons are not shooting all that well. Tobias Harris is at just 25%, Beasley at 33%, Fontecchio at 30%, Stew hasn’t even hit a 3, Ron Holland has (unsurprisingly) shot just 15% on almost no volume, Marcus Sasser appears to be fully out of the rotation. Its a testament to their improved defense and the effectiveness of the two young guards, but if the Pistons want to remain a competitive team they need some of the role guys to starting hitting more shots.

So in conclusion..

Run for the hills if:

• Stew gets into foul trouble

• Role players are missing open 3s

• Cade looks gassed late in the game.

Wink knowingly at your friends if:

• Ivey and Cade are getting to their spots and making plays

• Anyone other than Hardaway gets hot from deep

• The Pistons bench boat-races the Rockets