Houston Rockets
2016-17What were the Houston Rockets in 2016-17, and what needed front-office attention?
HOU 2016-17: the clearest roster problems were Rim protection, Interior finishing. The strongest covered areas were Passing connectivity, Rebounding. The main rotation-player dependency cases were James Harden, Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson, Clint Capela, Patrick Beverley. Structural basketball need, injuries, replacement lineups, and financial constraints are reported separately.
What can be trusted
Supported strengths — production, who carries it, and what money is already committed.Full reading
HOU 2016-17 Passing connectivity: this was a team strength, but much of it came from James Harden. James Harden supplied 41.7% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. Financial commitment is shown separately and does not determine basketball quality.
Full reading
HOU 2016-17 Rebounding: this was a team strength; production ranked at the 80.8 league percentile. James Harden supplied 27.9% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The team already committed substantial or redundant cap resources here.
What needs attention
The clearest roster problems the evidence supports.Full reading
HOU 2016-17 Rim protection: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 3.8 league percentile. Clint Capela supplied 43.6% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The cap allocation to this critical need was comparatively low.
Full reading
HOU 2016-17 Interior finishing: this was a real roster weakness; production ranked at the 15.4 league percentile. Clint Capela supplied 30.3% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The cap allocation to this structural need was comparatively low.
Every covered basketball function (11)
| Function | Reading | League percentile | Largest contributor | Recent availability | Salary commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creation | SupportedMiddle-tier area with one-player risk | 69th percentile | James Harden · 44.8% | No recent availability layer for this season | Cost concentrated in one provider |
| Defensive event creation | SupportedMiddle of the league | 69th percentile | Trevor Ariza · 29.7% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Interior finishing | SupportedStructural team problem | 15th percentile | Clint Capela · 30.3% | No recent availability layer for this season | Underfunded structural need |
| Passing connectivity | SupportedTeam strength concentrated in one player | 81st percentile | James Harden · 41.7% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Point-of-attack defense proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Montrezl Harrell | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Rebounding | SupportedTeam strength | 81st percentile | James Harden · 27.9% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Rim pressure | SupportedMiddle of the league | 31st percentile | James Harden · 31.7% | No recent availability layer for this season | Cost concentrated in one provider |
| Rim protection | SupportedCritical team problem | 4th percentile | Clint Capela · 43.6% | No recent availability layer for this season | Comparatively little salary committed to a critical need |
| Screening | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Montrezl Harrell | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Shooting and spacing | SupportedMiddle of the league | 54th percentile | Ryan Anderson · 30.4% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Switch coverage proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Montrezl Harrell | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
Who the team depends on
What disappears when a player is removed — and whether an observed replacement five exists.HOU did not have strong functional backup for James Harden in creation; removing him cost about 44.8% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was Patrick Beverley.
Replacement evidence
Nene Hilario · Corey Brewer · Eric Gordon · Patrick Beverley · Sam Dekker
shrunk net 7.572 over 261 possessions — small sample
on floor 6,315 possessions · off floor 2,113 possessions
HOU did not have strong functional backup for Trevor Ariza in event creation; removing him cost about 29.7% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was James Harden.
Replacement evidence
Nene Hilario · Corey Brewer · Eric Gordon · Patrick Beverley · Sam Dekker
shrunk net 7.572 over 261 possessions — small sample
on floor 5,989 possessions · off floor 2,439 possessions
HOU did not have strong functional backup for Ryan Anderson in shooting; removing him cost about 30.4% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was Eric Gordon.
Replacement evidence
Nene Hilario · Corey Brewer · Eric Gordon · Patrick Beverley · Sam Dekker
shrunk net 7.572 over 261 possessions — small sample
on floor 4,585 possessions · off floor 3,843 possessions
HOU did not have strong functional backup for Clint Capela in interior finish; removing him cost about 30.3% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was Ryan Anderson.
Replacement evidence
Nene Hilario · Corey Brewer · Eric Gordon · Patrick Beverley · Sam Dekker
shrunk net 7.572 over 261 possessions — small sample
on floor 3,443 possessions · off floor 4,976 possessions
HOU lineups performed 4.6 points per 100 possessions better with Patrick Beverley than without him. The best supported alternative was [Nene Hilario, Trevor Ariza, Lou Williams, Eric Gordon, James Harden] over 258 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Nene Hilario · Trevor Ariza · Lou Williams · Eric Gordon · James Harden
shrunk net 6.165 over 258 possessions — small sample
on floor 4,491 possessions · off floor 3,937 possessions
Function loss, lineup performance, and replacement-lineup evidence remain separate; none is causal player value.
What injuries change
Recent absences and the basketball needs they created or worsened.No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season.
Where money is tied up
Cap position and salary allocation — shown beside the basketball picture, never blended into it.Most salary is mapped to passing connectivity; the highest-need area is rim protection. Salary-to-function mapping covers 89% of charges.
Exact figures
Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence.
What the evidence cannot answer
Deliberate abstentions — where the database refuses a conclusion rather than guessing.- Point-of-attack defense proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Screening: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Switch coverage proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
Exact transaction legality: Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence
Team-season situation report. Structural basketball quality, recent availability, player dependence, replacement lineups, and financial position remain separate. No acquisition recommendation, transaction grade, coaching grade, outcome claim, or causal value is inferred.