Houston Rockets
2018-19What were the Houston Rockets in 2018-19, and what needed front-office attention?
HOU 2018-19: the clearest roster problems were Creation, Passing connectivity, Interior finishing. The strongest covered areas were Shooting and spacing. The main rotation-player dependency cases were Clint Capela, Eric Gordon, Chris Paul, Danuel House Jr.. 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 2018-19 Shooting and spacing: this was a team strength; production ranked at the 76.2 league percentile. P.J. Tucker supplied 26.8% 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 2018-19 Creation: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 0.0 league percentile. James Harden supplied 52.1% 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.
Full reading
HOU 2018-19 Passing connectivity: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 0.0 league percentile. James Harden supplied 51.4% 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.
Full reading
HOU 2018-19 Interior finishing: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 4.8 league percentile. Clint Capela supplied 45.1% 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.
Every covered basketball function (11)
| Function | Reading | League percentile | Largest contributor | Recent availability | Salary commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creation | SupportedCritical team problem | 0th percentile | James Harden · 52.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Defensive event creation | SupportedMiddle of the league | 62nd percentile | James Harden · 37.0% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Interior finishing | SupportedCritical team problem | 5th percentile | Clint Capela · 45.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Comparatively little salary committed to a critical need |
| Passing connectivity | SupportedCritical team problem | 0th percentile | James Harden · 51.4% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Point-of-attack defense proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Chris Paul | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Rebounding | SupportedCritical team problem | 10th percentile | Clint Capela · 74.9% | No recent availability layer for this season | Comparatively little salary committed to a critical need |
| Rim pressure | SupportedStructural team problem | 0th percentile | James Harden · 37.9% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Rim protection | SupportedCritical team problem | 14th percentile | Clint Capela · 41.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Comparatively little salary committed to a critical need |
| Screening | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Chris Paul | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Shooting and spacing | SupportedTeam strength | 76th percentile | P.J. Tucker · 26.8% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Switch coverage proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Chris Paul | 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 Clint Capela in rebounding; removing him cost about 74.9% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was James Harden.
Replacement evidence
Chris Paul · P.J. Tucker · Eric Gordon · James Harden · Kenneth Faried
shrunk net 0.503 over 193 possessions — small sample
on floor 4,680 possessions · off floor 3,469 possessions
HOU lineups performed 3.4 points per 100 possessions better with Eric Gordon than without him. The best supported alternative was [Gerald Green, P.J. Tucker, James Harden, Austin Rivers, Clint Capela] over 170 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Gerald Green · P.J. Tucker · James Harden · Austin Rivers · Clint Capela
shrunk net 1.36 over 170 possessions — small sample
on floor 4,681 possessions · off floor 3,468 possessions
HOU lineups performed 3.0 points per 100 possessions better with Chris Paul than without him. The best supported alternative was [P.J. Tucker, Eric Gordon, James Harden, Clint Capela, Danuel House Jr.] over 283 possessions.
Replacement evidence
P.J. Tucker · Eric Gordon · James Harden · Clint Capela · Danuel House Jr.
shrunk net 4.452 over 283 possessions — small sample
on floor 4,160 possessions · off floor 3,989 possessions
HOU lineups performed 3.5 points per 100 possessions better with Danuel House Jr. than without him. The best supported alternative was [Chris Paul, P.J. Tucker, Eric Gordon, James Harden, Clint Capela] over 1154 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Chris Paul · P.J. Tucker · Eric Gordon · James Harden · Clint Capela
shrunk net 4.543 over 1,154 possessions
on floor 2,018 possessions · off floor 6,131 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 defensive event creation; the highest-need area is interior finishing. Salary-to-function mapping covers 88% 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.