Thunder rolled 102-89 by Rockets

That was low stress.

The Thunder are, admittedly awful. It must be said though, now that the Rockets have found an offensive identity by actually playing Stephen Silas’ system with shooters, they’re a good watch. Not a good team, mind you, but not an disheartening, depressing, draining, dispiriting drama drifting disconsolately, dependably, down to defeat.

In my last recap I railed against the system the Rockets were running. I should have railed against the rotations, because it happens that when the Rockets actually have four (or even, gasp, five) shooters on the court, coach Stephen Silas’ five out system works. Shooters are more accurate with space. Driving and kicking out of an uncrowded paint to actual shooters works.

It might be depressingly familiar to Rockets fans, but five out does work. Since the Rockets don’t really have any good ISO players (Eric Gordon’s through the legs exegesis aside) the ball has to move. If the ball moves, if the offense isn’t dribble, dribble, dribble, (dribble, dribble, dribble), shoot a contested stepback, it’s actually pleasant to watch.

It turns out that even lesser players, and by that I mean formerly fringe NBA players like Garrison Matthews and Armoni Brooks, can flourish if given the right circumstance. If they’re asked to do what they’re good at, and have a clear role.

I’ll venture to say that having a clear system, with clear roles, and amazingly, regular rotations, rather than an ever-shifting pile of...something...is probably good for young players.

No one would say that Charlotte or OKC were defensive beasts, quite the opposite, but the Bulls currently rank #4. That’s something.

The Rockets stand now at four whole wins, two of which have come at the hands of The Process 76ers Tribute Band known as the OKC Thunder. OKC might also be suffering from Basketball Aingina, which is a serious conditions for teams in which they believe that simply having a giant pile of picks to dive into, a la Scrooge McDuck, is the entire goal of the NBA.

Sometimes you get bitten on the assets, however, as Boston has learned, and I suspect OKC will, too.

Anyhow, that was an...easy win?

Weird.