Basics of the Houston Rockets Offense
Score more than your opponent and you’ll be victorious. If only the strategies to pull this objective off were as simple to execute. However the game has constantly evolved over the years and we are in the midst of such a change that places an emphasis on three point shooting, spreading the floor, and playing at a very high tempo. Using the oldest play in basketball, The Rocket-men stretch defenses beyond their breaking point and so far the results have been deadly to say they least.
We are going to dive into the basics of this spread ballscreen attack with a few additions of my own that should be able to lay the foundation for your teams transition to space and pace. Before we dive into the Os and Xs, it’s really important to note a few details. The first is to heavily emphasize player development. A skilled player is able to run any system and this one relies on the players ability to dribble, pass and shoot the three. Arguably more important is the coaches ability to let the game unfold at a high tempo.
To fully embrace this style, you’ll have to be ok with letting some mistakes go and not call a set play every single possession. Focus on giving your players the ability to make the appropriate reads and let things unfold naturally. What Houston does arguably better than any team in the association, is the actions they run prior to getting into the pick and roll. You won’t see very many post ups or midrange shots in this scheme. Stayed tuned for part 2 where I’ll detail set plays that go with this style.
Here are some stats courtesy of basketball reference.com. It’s an excellent resource with just about all of the information you’ll need!
• 1st in Offensive Rating (points per 100 possessions) with 115.
• 1st in 3 pointers made and attempted: 15.6 and 43 (jaw dropping) at 36% as a team.
• 2nd in 2point field goal percentage with 56%.
• Free throws made (3rd) and attempted (5th): 20 and 25.5
Some extra staggering numbers to consider.
• 8 players are shooting 34% or higher from three.
• The 4 “bigs” that roll to the rim are all making 56% or more of their 2 point shots. Three of which are above 61%.
Ballscreen Types
In an effort to save space and not add 100 diagrams to this piece, here are the various ballscreen alignments that will be detailed. From left to right they are the Spread Ace, Spread Duece, Spread Euro and Spread Step.
Transition
For every single opportunity that arises, the goal is to score as quickly as possible by passing the ball ahead. Unless our rim runner has a clear numbers advantage or is ahead of the play, our goal is to sprint to the 5 perimeter spots on the floor. Unlike “Traditional 5 out” NBA teams like the Rockets use their lead guard to push towards the wing. The first 2 players down the floor will sprint to the corner where they will look to attack baseline or shoot the three. Our “Five” sprints to the top of the key where they will prepare to screen the ball or receive a pass. Our four is usually on the wing opposite of the ball but is interchangeable as well.
Pistol (Wing Entry)
Our first option to look for is to hit ahead with the pass and get into a ballscreen from the trail. There are multiple ways to pull this off. The guard may follow their pass with a ballscreen as the trail comes next, they can cut towards the rim and fill either corner, or cut behind the ball looking for a quick handoff to attack baseline.
Dribble
Now clearly a good defense won’t just let you pass the ball anywhere you’d like so when that happens we simply just use a dribble entry. The options are pretty self explanatory and help keep the flow and pace of the offense running smoothly. The guard may dribble towards the wing looking to throw a backdoor pass to our guard in the corner. When they back off to prevent that backdoor, the guard will be able to sprint towards the ball for a dribble handoff as the trail follows suit. The last option is excellent against teams that heavily deny passing lanes or switch. Rather than the corner guard cutting or fighting to get open on the wing, they will literally screen their own man to allow the lead guard to attack baseline. A modified version of pistol also know as a step up screen would take place in case the guard can’t attack baseline thanks to a flare screen from the trailer before spreading the floor to attack.
Trail
Next we will look to hit the trailer behind the play which is followed by screening action on both sides of the floor. It’s important to note that the goal is to score quickly which requires the players on the weakside to not simply exchange to “occupy the defense” but rather be physical with their screens which will open opportunities for everyone. Also known as “Delay”, most NBA teams have this action installed which involves a flare screen for the lead guard with a weakside pindown on the other side. Players are looking to slip to the rim for layups or take the jumpshot of its available. Otherwise the trail will follow their pass or handoff to either wing with a ballscreen. Not only are you able to flip the action to have a downscreen on the strong side with a weakside flare, but the lead guard is able to cut through or use what’s called an invert action which is a down screen at has the shooter turn and screen for who just screened them. These combinations of actions are a nightmare when used in conjunction with the spread ball screen.
Point
We have just gotten to possibly the teams most versatile set and it’s responsible for a lot of the headaches that defenses have to deal with. Also known as a Stagger action (double screen), the set is called “Point” for a reason you can probably guess. Which is point to who you want your teammates to screen for. There’s two basic ways to enter this area which are to simply stagger for the weakside guard or swing the ball to the opposite wing and then begin screening away. What happens after the initial screening action, depends on what the shooter decides to do. If they get the ball, they’ll receive a ballscreen but things get interesting if there is a curl or backdoor cut. No matter what, the trail will screen the ball.
If the player curls to the rim and doesn’t get the pass, the 2nd screener follows up top for the pass. What’s also prevalent in the offense is for the shooter coming off of the screen to continue on to screen the ball while the trail again follows suit. It would take over one hundred pages to detail every possible option so we will keep it simple for now.
Stack/Spain
The go to set for Coach Mike D’antoni especially out of timeouts and for good reason. It is an absolute terror and shifts defenses every time it is run. It is a ballscreen followed by a backscreen for the roll man. It’s tough to stop even when you know it’s coming and in the case of Houston, it leads to layups for Chris Paul and James Harden, Dunks for Nene and Capela, or a barrage of threes from the army of snipers on this roster.
You can learn more about this action on my other coaching platform at Hoopgrind Basketball! https://www.hoopgrind.com/nba-spotlight-spanish-flavor-pick-roll/
Drag/fist
Our final action is used often but especially in transition. As the defense is still figuring out its positioning, we look to attack with a single or double drag screen.
That does it for the Basics of the Rockets Offense (with a few tweaks)! You’re well on your way to adopting the space and pace tempo that Houston implements. Keep an eye out for part 2 which will detail set plays to go with the offense. Always free to contact me to talk hoops via email on Kjthescout@outlook.com or via twitter @Kj_the_scout.
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