James Harden hopes for continuity but wants Rockets to get him playmaking help
Turning the ball over more times than any other player in the history of the NBA playoffs can really weigh on a person.
As the Houston Rockets closed the book on what can only be called a successful 2014-15 season, James Harden admitted the team may need to add another playmaker to lessen the offensive burden on him moving forward. The bearded superstar anticipated a discussion with general manager Daryl Morey exploring the possibility:
Yeah, definitely, that's one of the conversations that me and Daryl are going to have, and the coaches, is one of the pieces we need to have. That's a later conversation, but we'll be all right. We're very confident in the group that we have and this summer we got to work hard and be ready for next year.
During the regular season, Harden finished 31.3 percent of the Rockets' offensive possessions, the eighth-highest mark in the league. During the playoffs, that slipped to 29.6 percent, sixth among all players who played at least 100 playoff minutes. In other words, few carry a heavier offensive burden than the MVP runner-up, who averaged 27.4 points and seven assists over 81 games.
It's possible to look at Harden's prolific scoring ability and conclude he can operate as the team's de facto point guard, as he often did when sharing the floor with Patrick Beverley. But despite the team's overall success and Harden's offensive mastery, the team ranked 12th in points scored per-possession, the second-lowest mark of any Western Conference playoff team.
The Rockets are in a position to change directions at the point and get Harden help, and they could manoeuvre into appreciable cap space. Beverley is a restricted free agent this summer, Jason Terry is an unrestricted free agent, and Pablo Prigioni's contract is only partially guaranteed, leaving Nick Johnson as the only guard certain to be on the roster next year. Johnson was limited to 262 minutes as a rookie this season.
A Beverley return isn't out of the question, as his defense is a major asset, and Harden hopes the team can maintain a semblance of continuity coming off a 2014 summer full of change.
Harden: #Rockets may be a piece away, but important for as much of the team to stay together as possible.
— Howard Chen (@TheHoChen) May 29, 2015
If Beverley's offense is a limiting factor, that could rule out a Rajon Rondo signing. With a relatively thin point guard market - Goran Dragic and Brandon Knight would make sense but could be tough to pry away - the Rockets may need to explore a trade, with Ty Lawson standing as an intriguing candidate.