Houston Rockets: Three players to see role increase with Melo departure

Eric Gordon, G

The Houston Rockets offensive struggles for real, there are a lot of reasons for that but one of the biggest ones may be Eric Gordon‘s production or lack thereof. Gordon is average 15 points per game, not terribly far off from where his career average sits and what he’s done previously for the Rockets.

That being said, Gordon has not been the same player on offense this year as he had been in the past. He has been one of the most inefficient players in the entire NBA, let alone in Houston. He is currently shooting 32% from the field which is 80 points lower than his previous low. He is also shooting a putrid 23% from three, which is nearly a 100 points lower than his previous low.

Gordon is getting his chances, in fact, he’s getting more shot attempts than he ever has in his career. He is putting up 17 shots per game and 9 three-point attempts per game. Just for some reason, they aren’t falling, a progression to the mean is due and, boy, do the Rockets need it.

With Melo’s prospective departure, there will be a greater offensive burden for the team to bear. A lot of that will likely fall onto Gordon, not that his usage rate would necessarily increase but his burden to produce will increase incrementally.

Melo has been contributing over 13 points per game on average while taking up nearly 30 minutes of the 180 available to play in any given game. Gordon can help make up for both of those things as the season progresses.

The Rockets desperately need Gordon to pick up his offensive game, regardless of if Melo is gone in the near future. If he can find his shot again, this team could take off, especially if he has to carry a greater offensive burden.