Houston Rockets: How To Properly Utilize Jason Terry

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Feb 4, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jason Terry (31) huddles up with teammates guard Patrick Beverley (2) and guard James Harden (13) at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /

Veteran Leadership

JET has been doing the daily grind in this league for the last 17 years and he’s the owner of a ring, so he’s played in many a close game before. Down the stretch Terry constantly talks to his teammates and ensures everyone is on the same page, even though he doesn’t have the speed he used too he makes up for it with his tireless effort.

He acts as a catalyst for the Rockets on defensive possessions as a 38-year old hustling and putting his body on the line to get steals is enough to engage the rest of the team. Terry also acts as a mediator for the Rockets as he drags players away to prevent them from getting technical fouls and speaks to the referees as Terry has gained their respect throughout his long career. This may be an intangible, but it’s definitely his most valuable asset to this team, especially with the reported unrest in the locker room this season.

Three-Point Shooting

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This speaks for itself, he’s #3 on the all time three-pointers list because he is a deadly marksman from downtown. The system Houston employs most of the time of 1-in 4-out really aids Terry, as he can lurk in the corners and wait to strike on a wide open catch-and-shoot three. Just for your information, Terry has shot almost 40% on catch-and-shoot 3’s since they started recording the statistic in the 2013-14 season.

That year he turned 35.

He’s still knocking down catch and shoot 3’s at 36% this season, which isn’t fantastic but that’s still a good mark for a team that is struggling as bad as it has this season. Expect this number to improve once he moves a majority of his minutes into the second half and closes out games raining treys from the outside at a prolific rate.

Clutch Finishing

It’s no secret that this team has issues with free throws and Terry solves a lot of those issues down the stretch. Only two Rockets shoot above 80% and that is the JET and James Harden. Having Terry on the floor down the stretch allows an easy inbound pass to a 85% career free throw shooter as Harden will usually attract a double team in these situations. Terry has made many clutch free throws, and three-pointers for that matter, down the stretch for the Rockets. Just a reminder of Jason Terry knocking down clutch 3’s at age 38;

Never leave that man open, or he will BURN you.

These are just three of the JET’s positive points for the Houston Rockets.

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He is having a bit of a down season so far but as I said earlier, finding ways to utilize Terry is key to having the Rockets play their brand of basketball. By exploiting certain matchups, Terry’s reputation as a knockdown shooter is enough to spread the floor which becomes really important when things tighten up in the second half. By transferring more of Terry’s minutes into the second half we can expect a larger output from him and expect a more efficient and effective Rockets outfit to boot.

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All statistics per stats.nba.com.

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