Over the course of Houston Rockets‘ coach Mike D’Antoni’s 16-year coaching career, he’s developed a habit of going top heavy with his lineups, which essentially runs his stars into the ground. This has played a part in the dip in James Harden‘s postseason productivity, yet Harden is playing more minutes this season than any of the other seasons in which MDA has been at the helm.
The same can be said for PJ Tucker, whose minutes have increased during each of MDA’s seasons as the Rockets coach. It’s understandable that D’Antoni would want to invest in his known commodities, but is this the smartest approach when the Rockets have young assets at their disposal?