Ty Lawson is mostly fine with playing among the Houston Rockets’ second-stringers.
A lot is going to change in the aftermath of the Rockets’ decision to fire head coach Kevin McHale. One of those tweaks, it seems, includes moving Ty Lawson to the bench. He started in each of Houston’s first 11 games this season, but interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff shifted him to the second unit in the Rockets’ Wednesday night come-from-behind victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Such change might not sit well with someone who has spent most of the last half-decade as a full-time starter. For now, though, Lawson appears to be rolling happily along with the punches, per ClutchFans (h/t CBS Sports):
Ty Lawson says he's "good" w/coming off bench, that it may allow him to play more his game. "Whatever for the team to win, I'm ready to do."
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) November 19, 2015
Relegating Lawson to the second unit allows him to be the focal point on offense more, staggering his minutes with James Harden to a more demonstrative degree. And that makes sense for the Rockets, since both players are most comfortable playing on the ball. We harped on that ahead of the season, and they have done little to quell any initial concerns since 2015-16 tipped off.
In the time Harden and Lawson have shared the floor thus far, the Rockets are, on average, being outscored by 9.4 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com. That would rank as the third-worst net rating in the league—worse than even that of the Los Angeles Lakers.
So, immediately, this is the smart move. Ty Lawson only shot 1-of-8 from the floor on Wednesday and didn’t play in the fourth quarter or overtime, but Houston’s chief concern cannot be his ego or reviving his ebbing shooting stroke.
The Rockets need to start winning games, and even if bringing Ty Lawson off the pine doesn’t positively impact his efficiency and overall production, limiting the time he and Harden, two ball-dominant defensive sieves, spend playing beside one another is, for now, their best shot at ending an early-season malaise.
