[True Hoop] Rocket Time

Sounds about right but where's the love for Hayes who has stepped his game up even more since the deadline. He's become more vocal with Battier out and more of a leader.

 

The reasons I'd offer are:

1. Aaron Brooks (who was terrible this year) had his backup PG/SG minutes replaced by the much less terrible Dragic and Lee.

2. Jordan Hill, who was terrible before the trade, lost a good chunk of his minutes to the much less terrible Patterson and Chuck Hayes and Hill himself became less terrible.

Here are a few pieces of data:

Brooks:

- Aaron Brooks played 811 minutes as a Rocket this year, averaging 23 mpg, the team was -104 during these minutes.

- Goran Dragic played 184 minutes as a Rocket, 13 mpg, the Rockets were -8 during those minutes.

- Courtney Lee played 1505 minutes as a Rocket, 18 mpg before the trade, 27 mpg after the trade, overall the Rockets were -9 during his minutes.

- Lowry averaged about 36 mpg after the trade, 33 mpg before it. He has been scoring much more frequently and efficiently once the trade happened, though.

Hill:

- Hill averaged 18 mpg before the trade, 11 mpg after the trade.

- Before the trade, the Rockets were -146 during the 900 or so minutes that Hill played. After the trade the Rockets were +18 during the 170 or so minutes that Hill played. Hill also saw his FG% jump from 47% to 57%.

- Hayes was playing 25 mpg before the trade, 32 mpg after (though his increse in minutes happened earlier back in January). The Rockets were +165 overall in his minutes.

- Patterson average 12 mpg before the trade (with a lot of DNP), 20 mpg after the trade, the Rockets were -2 overal lin his minutes.

So, taking out players who seem to be hurting the team the most (Hill and Brooks had by far the two worse +/-) and giving their minutes to better players helps. Also helps, in Hill's case, to have really elevanted his level of play during the reduced minutes.

 

Good read!