Rockets' Low-3PT Strategy: Defense & Durant

0:00It's March 3rd, here's your NBA news in two minutes. Subscribe to stay locked in all season. The Houston Rockets are attempting the fewest three pointers per game in their last 13 seasons. They're averaging just 30.9 tries from beyond the arc this year, which ranks 29th in the league and ties their mark from the 2015 season. Back in the 2010s under James Harden, the Rockets led the shift to high volume three-point shooting. They set the all-time record with 1,256 makes in the 2017-18 season. Their best year and decades win, and they nearly reached the finals. After trading Harden in 2021 and enduring a rough rebuild, the Rockets hired Eme Udoka in 2023. He shifted their focus to defense, rebounding and pain scoring, dropping three point attempts each year since. Last season, that formula worked as they won 52 games, topping the league in rebounding and ranking top five defensively.

1:00Now with Kevin Durant added, his mid-range game fits the inside heavy style perfectly. Udoka says he'd like more threes, but only quality ones that match their strengths. The big question is whether skimping on outside shots will hurt them. Come play off time, especially after past hardbreakers like their 2018 Game 7 meltdown. A message from our sponsor supports today's story. It looks like a pillow. It sounds like headphones built for comfort and sound. N-S-O-L-L-L-I, solelypillow.com.