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Houston Rockets: Klay Thompson could be James Harden’s kryptonite

By Brian K. Patterson

HOUSTON, TX - MAY 23: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets drives against Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter during Game Three of the Western Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA PLayoffs at Toyota Center on May 23, 2015 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - MAY 23: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets drives against Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter during Game Three of the Western Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA PLayoffs at Toyota Center on May 23, 2015 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The Houston Rockets will face the Golden State Warriors in the highly-anticipated Western Conference finals match up.  But it’s important to note that James Harden’s numbers are slightly below his average when facing Klay Thompson.  Let’s take a look further.

Houston Rockets fans — can you believe it?  It’s happening — the Western Conference Finals are on deck and they can’t come soon enough.  Although the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Utah Jazz were formidable opponents, the real postseason is about to start now with the best of the best going up against each other.

I sometimes wish that the playoff seeding requirements and the East/West thing get revamped when it comes to the playoffs because in all reality, this is the NBA Finals that everybody wants to see as it’s going to be action-packed in every sense of the word.

I know that fans of LeBron James — as well as Cleveland Cavaliers fans — wouldn’t like this assertion because of his presence alone making a difference in so many ways but I can’t hide the fact that I’m more excited about this match up than the NBA Finals, with my hopes pinned that the Houston Rockets are successful with this grueling round to advance.  We’ll have to see.

But let’s talk about match ups.  I totally understand that it doesn’t make as much of difference when these two teams face each other because there’s not a particular defensive assignment given with all the switches that place between these teams.  They can go small or big and make adjustments on the fly to adhere to situational challenges that they are faced with.

These teams aren’t exact carbon copies of each other but they share the same mindset and that’s what’s going to make this series absolutely intriguing to watch.

The most highly-anticipated match up?

It’s definitely going to be between James Harden and Klay Thompson.  Thompson has long been heralded as a defensive stopper and Harden has carved his way to being formidable defender as the coaching staff has changed hands in his career.  He’s pretty damn good at it now and it’s going to be interesting to see how effective he is this series.

The Beard vs. Klay

Harden has elevated to the Top 10 in defensive win shares for a playoffs, a feat that many of us only dreamed of just a few seasons ago.  I talked about that in separate piece here so feel free to take a look at that if you reading desire should want to take you there.

The Warriors faced the Rockets three times this past season — all early in — and Harden did miss one game — Jan. 4th — of the seasonal series because he was recovering from a Grade 2 hamstring strain that he sustained late last year.  He missed seven total games as a result.

But in the two games he has played, there’s evidence that the Warriors — especially Thompson — has had some impact on his effectiveness.  It’s certainly something that concerns me in this series but I do feel that the Beard will rise above it and show the league why he’s the real MVP for 2017-18 season.

Measuring effectiveness

Harden averaged 24.5 points, 9.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 turnovers off 46.2 percent from

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the field, 50 percent from three, 66.7 percent from the charity stripe and a +/- of a -5.7 in his two meetings with the Warriors.

These numbers are slightly off from his seasonal averages of 30/5/9 along with 4.4 turnovers per game which alludes to the effect that Thompson has had on him.  The good news is that his assists are up above his average because he’s being gunned for but he’s able to get the ball to his teammates to help them win games.

He also got to the free throw line less against the Warriors, going 3-for-4 back Oct. 17th and 1-for-2 back Jan. 20th.  Harden also had SIX turnovers against the Warriors in that January match up so we’ll definitely have to keep an eye on if the Warriors harry him to point to where he starts making mistakes.  We’ll certainly have to see about that.

Thompson currently holds a 98.9 defensive rating which is pretty damn good in the postseason thus far.  The only member of the Houston Rockets that surpasses that is Trevor Ariza who has a sterling 97.0 rating. 

Ariza’s offense has been less than desired but his defense has been on point throughout the playoffs and I think that will be his calling card to his value long-term as his career starts to wind down.

Thompson has averaged 17.3 points, 2.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds with +/- of +7.5 through the three times these teams have faced each other through the season which is in line with his seasonal averages of 20/4/3.

Next: Why Clint Capela is more valuable than LeBron James

It can go either way with this match up and this is certainly one that you all should keep your eyes peeled for!

Good to luck to both teams — especially the Rockets — as they get ready to partake in a highly-intensive blood bath.

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