How Chris Paul's return unlocks Ryan Anderson and makes the Rockets even scarier
Paul may be getting a late start in Houston, but he promises to unlock some key role players
By
Kevin Skiver
•
7 min read
Yes, it's one game and yes, it was against the Suns, but Chris Paul has a marked difference on every team that he plays with. In his 20 minutes on the floor Thursday, Paul put up 11 points and 10 assists with a +12 differential, but what makes Paul so special is his ability to spread a defense and create plays with his eyes -- and his often-underestimated defense.
Paul can take role players and make them big contributors to the offense, and he showed that with one of the most dangerous Rockets, forward Ryan Anderson.
While Paul was out, the Rockets still thrived. They scored 110 points per game, but in the assist column they were hovering around 21 assists per game. In his first game back, the Rockets had 27 assists, their second highest total of the season (they had 28 twice, once in the first game against the Warriors in which Paul played and had 10 assists).
All that Paul does is takes an outrageously talented Rockets offense and helps it play to its strengths. Paul is, by any definition, a "true point guard." He spaces the floor better than nearly anyone in basketball, and he can create with his eyes. He'll look to score when it suits him, but that's a product of seeing the court the way that he does. No one needs to be told that Paul sees the floor well, but to fully appreciate how he creates for himself and his teammates, all it takes is one look.
The Rockets don't run with a particularly fast pace of play. They are currently ninth in the league, but what Paul does well is maximizes the efficiency of a fast break. The Rockets are 23rd in the league in 3-point percentage, and first in three pointers attempted (44.4 per game, slightly under 12 more than the second place Mavericks). It's a stats-by-volume team, and right now, it's working.
However, Paul is setting up high percentage 3s, especially on fast breaks. This benefits a player such as Anderson, who is an effective three point shooter. He can play on the perimeter, which the Mike D'Antoni offense allows him to do -- and Paul exploits that flexibility extremely well. If the Rockets can get their efficiency numbers up, they'll be nigh on unstoppable moving forward. Consider this 3-on-1 situation:
Paul has Clint Capela down low, Josh Jackson guarding him, and Ryan Anderson coming up the wing. The predominant idea is that, on a 3-on-1, you're looking for an easy basket -- that'd be the open shot. Paul holds his gaze on Capela for as long as he can, not allowing Jackson to leave the center.
The problem? You're playing the Rockets, the team general manager Daryl Morey built around a philosophy of 3-pointers and layups. Jackson is held up by Capela, and Paul swings it out to Anderson on the wing. Anderson gets a wide-open look.
As a sidebar, this is why Anderson was always good but not great with the Pelicans. He was used as a stretch big -- hunting in the corner for opportunities -- rather than a swingman being set up for them. He's allowed to thrive in Houston's system, and Paul only builds on that talent. The same goes for Eric Gordon.
And it works even when he's operating without numbers, as in this situation that begins as a 2-on-4:
On this play, Paul creates a fastbreak from a negative situation. He brings the ball up the wing and starts to curl inside. This draws the Suns' help in transition. They're still a bit discombobulated -- part of Paul's success was certainly the Suns' lack of it. But what makes this difficult is that the Rockets have some of the best trail fast breaks in basketball. They aren't in a rush to get up the court, but rather they want to set up their shell and get the movement going.
With this in mind, four Suns defenders start to fold in on Paul, with only Nene coming up the far side:
Now the Rockets are making their way down the floor, but the circle around Paul has only closed. You have three Suns defenders focused on Paul, one on Nene and another out of frame. Meanwhile, the Rockets are taking their spots on the perimeter, which Paul recognizes instantly:
...and capitalizes on. No one is going to benefit from Paul's return more than Anderson. Anderson can absolutely set up shop on the perimeter, and Paul will find him.
But what about the half-court offense? Well, CP3 has that covered too, and the news is equally bad for defenses.
Is there a better play in basketball than a well-executed pick-and-roll? The Rockets say yes, and it's a well-executed pick-and-pop. Anderson sets a down screen for Paul, who comes off of Anderson's shoulder. The Suns don't hedge Anderson's screen properly, which results in this:
If one didn't know any better, this could look like a really poorly spaced play. Paul hooks a pass over to Anderson, and Nene goes to screen high on the Suns defender. This creates another triple for Anderson, and another assist for Paul.
But Paul isn't just creating off of good play design. The Rockets' shell may not be particularly special, but having a player with the vision and wherewithal that Paul has makes the shell lethal. The shell generally relies on quick, crisp passing that relies on catching a help-side defender napping. But what happens that that defender is supposed to help-side, but the guy passing is just good enough that his passes can travel the length of the floor before the defender can react?
It's a complicated question with an easy answer: The defender doesn't have a chance. Paul comes off of a Nene screen. Eric Gordon (bottom of the screen), is the next logical swing. The not logical swing? Ryan Anderson at the top of the screen. Jackson, Anderson's defender, has a foot in the key ready to help on a drive, as he should.
And Paul responds by rifling a pass across the floor. Jackson hasn't even turned his head as the ball is about to wiz by him. There is next to no defense for a pass like this, and Anderson buries another three. Anderson finished with 24 points, a season-high for him, and a big part of that was due to Paul knowing how to utilize the spacing he brings to the floor.
The Rockets really aren't doing much different with Paul at the helm, Paul just makes them do what they were doing better. They're still taking an outrageous amount of threes, and making a lot of them. It benefits Anderson, because that's the strongest part of Anderson's game. Nene hanging down low allows D'Antoni to run his flex offense through Paul, and the weird rotations that Paul creates allows him to find players like Anderson two rotations away. But they shot nearly 48 percent from three against the Suns, their second highest total of the season. None of this is to downplay the game James Harden had or the season that he's having. He'll always get his. But Paul helps to set up spot shooters like Anderson in a way that few can.
Anderson isn't going to be the guy that puts the Rockets over the top, he's an option. The thing is, he's a dream for a guy like Paul, who sees the entire floor at any given time. This offense runs through Harden and it will run through Paul. Anderson was the guy getting looks tonight, the next game it might be Eric Gordon and the game after that it could be Trevor Ariza. He's a special player, but he isn't looking to make superstars out of players. He elevates role players to the top of their game. For Anderson and Gordon, that game happens to be playing on the perimeter and capitalizing on the opportunities that they do get.
Paul is a player that is easy to appreciate when he's on the floor. He creates opportunities, whether it's with a steal going the other way or just by setting up the offense. He sees the court in a way next to no one does, and it's apparent in plays like these. The fact is, he processes the game differently.
The Rockets are first in the Western Conference right now, and they're facing a juggernaut the likes of which the NBA has rarely, if ever, seen in the Warriors. Take a great offense and add a guy like Paul, that might be the difference. But this year isn't going to be a cakewalk for Golden State -- the Rockets made sure of that when they traded to get Paul from the Clippers.
