HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets are trying to change the perception they’re not a strong defensive team.
But with the start of the regular season coming Wednesday night against the Lakers, the Rockets won’t have their best defender, guard Patrick Beverley, who's out four to six weeks with a knee injury.
Last season with Beverley on the floor for 71 games, opponents shot 46 percent from the field and committed 16.9 turnovers.
In the 11 games he missed, opponents shot 45.1 percent and committed fewer turnovers at 14.7. Among point guards, Beverley had the fifth best defensive rating of 1.01.
Beverley took on the toughest defensive assignments in the backcourt, whether it was covering Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul or Damian Lillard in the talent-heavy Western Conference.
Beverley, to put it mildly, was an irritant to players like Curry and Westbrook. Whenever the Rockets visit Oakland or Oklahoma City, Beverley is booed lustily.
Last season, in the middle of the first-round series against the Golden State Warriors, Beverley said, “I don’t care,” when asked if he’s Public Enemy No. 1.
It’s that attitude the Rockets need in the backcourt this season, given the increased offensive responsibilities on James Harden at point guard and Beverley out until possibly December.
When healthy, Beverley would remain on opposing point guards, but on switches, Harden would get paired up against the Currys and Westbrooks of the world.
Harden isn’t a very good defender.
“James can be and should be a very good defender on a consistent basis,” Rockets assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik, who runs the defense, said. “He has embraced the challenge.”
With Beverley out, Eric Gordon moves into the starting lineup, and last season among shooting guards, his defensive rating was -0.40, 40th at this position.
“With me starting, I’m going to have to guard mostly the top perimeter guy and that’s fine,” Gordon said. “They will have to guard me also. You just have to play both sides of the ball very well. Pat is known well for defense and I have to put it up on both ends of the floor.”
Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni's rotation has been affected by the loss of Beverley. He wants K.J. McDaniels to become a strong defender by guarding both guard spots and small forward. He could see significant minutes. McDaniels, however, struggled with consistency on the defensive end in the preseason.
"He's up and down," D'Antoni said after the preseason finale against the Spurs Friday night. There were times McDaniels guarded the Spurs' star Kawhi Leonard. During two possessions with McDaniels' hand in his face, Leonard made two jumpers.
"I have to take advantage of it and challenge myself to be strong at all three positions," McDaniels said. "Kawhi Leonard is an All-Star. A great player, who I watched before I was in the league. It's a great challenge. He's a great guy to model my game after."
If the Rockets are to emerge as one of the better teams in the West, the little things -- boxing out, making the correct rotations and challenging ball handlers -- must be done consistently whether Beverley is on the floor or not.
“Everybody has to do their job,” Bzdelik said. “It takes all five guys to get a stop, and everybody has to do their job and do it as well as they can do it. We need to get back in transition and we need to force teams into tough contested twos, inside the arc, outside the paint and rebound the basketball. Just doing it consistently well. The challenge is not taking a defensive possession off.”