Mike D'Antoni's Perimeter-Oriented Offense Poses Major Threat In Postseason

• The Houston Rockets are currently sixth in the Western Conference at 40-24. They're behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (tiebreaker) for the five-seed and 1.0 games behind the Utah Jazz for the four-seed.

• P.J. Tucker, Jeff Green, Ben McLemore, and Danuel House are all shooting at least 36.0 percent from beyond the arc this season. Eric Gordon is elite at 37.0 percent over his 12-year career.

• Houston's 34.8 percent mark from deep ranks as 23rd-best in the NBA, but the margins are very close.

• The Rockets are +700 to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals and are +1200 to win it all, per DraftKings.

A Playoff Matchup To Avoid

It’s no secret that the Houston Rockets are an offensive-oriented team. With a head coach like Mike D’Antoni and two stars like James Harden and Russell Westbrook handling the playmaking duties, that shouldn’t be surprising. Their approach could be defined in a single phrase: scoring more points than their rivals regardless of how many points they allow. It sounds simple, but it’s more complicated than one might think. The offense needs to work like a well-oiled machine for this approach to work on a nightly-basis.

That’s why the Rockets are one of the most polarizing teams when it comes to analyzing their chances ahead of the restart of the NBA season in late-July. They have the looks of a contender, but it remains to be seen whether they will be healthy enough or focused enough to make the most of their perimeter-oriented offense.

Chances are, the Rockets will be a team no one wants to face come playoff time. One of the main reasons behind this argument lies in the ruthless approach. When most teams in the league are pushing for a three-point oriented offense, the Rockets also thrive from the perimeter, but their own roster construction allows them to take different avenues to score the rock. Facing teams like this in the playoffs is never easy.

Like free money? We thought so. We read all the fine print, rated and reviewed all of these awesome offers for you. Get in on the action today by selecting your state below and take advantage of our exclusive deals if you want to bet on the Houston Rockets!

Snipers Galore

The Rockets can isolate and attack the rim with Westbrook. Harden can drive and kick, or hit a dagger with a step-back three, one of his trademarks. Eric Gordon is one of the most consistent three-point shooters in league. The list goes on and on. Robert Covington, P.J. Tucker, Austin Rivers, Jeff Green, Ben McLemore and Danuel House are all capable of making threes on a nightly-basis.

Four Rockets -- Green, McLemore, Tucker, and House -- are making at least 36 percent of their attempts from deep. Gordon is elite in this field. He has made shots beyond the arc at a 37.0 percent clip over his career.

Houston currently sits in 23rd place in the NBA when it comes to three-point accuracy, as they hit 34.8 percent of their attempts from deep. That’s down from their 35.7 percent mark of 2018-19, although that figure ranked ninth-best in the league one year ago. Plus, the league-leading Miami Heat convert their own shots from beyond the arc at a 38.3 percent clip. Only seven franchises have shot above the 37.0 percent threshold from deep during the 2019-2020 campaign. That certainly puts things into perspective.

The Rockets lead the league in both three-pointers made (986) and three-point attempts (2,832). Conversely, they rank second-to-last in two-point field goals made (1,646) and 30th in two-point field goal attempts (2,971). The ladder represent an upgrade of more than 10 percent compared to what they did last season.

This is the true mark of a perimeter offense. It’s not how many three-pointers you hit, it’s about how you set up your offense from the ground up. And no franchise in the league has a bigger variation between their two-point and three-point attempts. The Rockets really live and die by the perimeter and will be a matchup that teams in the Western Conference hope to avoid.

Find out how you can use BetQL to dominate the NBA when the season continues!