Houston Rockets: Interest in J.R. Smith reeks of desperation
The Houston Rockets’ reported interest in J.R. Smith proves just how desperate the team is after getting off to a rough start
At 11-14, the Houston Rockets currently have the second-worst record in the NBA’s Western Conference. While the Rockets still has a top 7 offense in the NBA, they have a bottom five defense.
That equates to the 21st ranked net rating in the league. Through the first two months of the season, I don’t think anyone could have imagined the Rockets getting off to this messy of a start, especially considering this team was likely one Chris Paul injury away from upending the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
It’s gotten so bad that the team is reportedly showing interest in potentially adding J.R. Smith. Yes, that same J.R. Smith that was famous for thinking the Cavs had won Game 1 of the NBA Finals, only to eventually lose in overtime and, overall, to the Warriors in four games.
Here is the report on the team’s interest in Smith:
The Rockets have expressed exploratory interest in acquiring JR Smith, according to league sources. Smith is currently on hiatus from the Cavaliers as Cleveland seeks a new home for the veteran shooting guard via trade
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 11, 2018
Even though Smith has been valuable for a few teams over the course of his career, there’s no question that his best days are certainly behind him. And this season, he wasn’t great during his short time on the floor for Cleveland.
He was shooting sub-40 percent from the field and 31 percent from 3-point range. Again, it was small sample size, but it’s not like the Rockets would be adding a sharp-shooter at this point in his career.
At best, Smith is a streak-shooter and a hit-or-miss on the offensive end on the floor. On the other side of things, Smith, especially if he’s eventually bought out by the team, he’s still only 33 years old and is the type of player that is going to flash from time to time.
He’s the type of streaky scorer that can take over the game in spurts.
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Still, at this point in his career, Smith is seen as more of a punchline than a capable bench option. There are a handful of better options that the Rockets could be targeting, and if they’ve gotten to the point where they want to add J.R. Smith, this team is even more desperate than we realize.