Who should close out games for the Rockets: Patrick Beverley or Ty Lawson?
The Houston Rockets may not have much of a point guard controversy, as of right now.
It appears as though Ty Lawson will be the starter to enter the season, but the question is, will he be the closer?
With the Rockets possibly focused more on defense late in games while letting Harden handle the majority of the scoring chances, could the Rockets sub out Lawson and use Beverley instead in the game's closing minutes?
Here's more from Kurt Helin at ProBasketballTalk:
Let’s say Lawson’s off-court problems are behind him. How big of an upgrade is he? The Rockets already had a pretty good point guard who fit well with Harden in Beverley.
Lawson is a clear offensive upgrade, but in the biggest moments, the ball will still run through Harden. At that point, would you rather have Beverley or Lawson on the floor?
Beverley is a far superior defender, and his off-ball offensive game isn’t far from Lawson’s. Beverley is is a fine spot-up shooter, and Lawson’s strengths involve having the ball and creating. Lawson’s biggest boost could come when Harden sits, but that was fewer than 12 minutes per game last season. Sure, a secondary ball-handler could ease pressure on Harden throughout a long regular season. Lawson and Harden can take turns running the attack.
But we’re talking about title contention, and in those high-leverage situations, it’s Harden’s show. How much does Lawson matter then?
