The Rockets were clicking, but face an injury scare heading into the postseason
Houston figured out the James Harden-Russell Westbrook dynamic at the perfect time, as their play before the suspension of NBA action, and now in the bubble, has been exceptional. Westbrook is serving as a sort of point-center, both bringing up the ball and supplying some much-needed points in the paint for a team that relies heavily on the three-pointer.
So, what could go wrong? Westbrook has been bit by the injury bug, and will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of a quadricep issue.
Just how serious of a hit would a Westbrook injury be to the Rockets’ playoff chances?
Well, extremely. Westbrook is one of the most electric players in the NBA, and was averaging near 27 points-per-game since Houston’s small-ball experiment started. In the bubble, he’s arguably been more dangerous than Harden at some points. Eliminating that factor from the Rockets’ offense makes them a one-trick pony, essentially a worse version of last year’s playoff team, but without Chris Paul to occasionally play floor general and get his own shot. It would not go well.
The former Thunder guard has abandoned the three-point shot unless absolutely necessary, instead focusing on his strengths of getting to the rim and contributing on the fast-break. The result has been a far more efficient player, and a point guard who shoots at a much higher clip. Westbrook was already a walking triple-double, but he’s been able to identify and highlight his strengths in Mike D’Antoni’s offense, while surrounded by shooters to open up the lane.
Losing that inside presence would all but allow opponents to space the floor defensively to match Houston’s shooting ability. That cannot happen, or the Rockets’ playoff chances would have ended before they ever really began.
Let’s hope Westbrook can shake this one off.