The Houston Rockets are denying they’re planning on giving up on Ty Lawson after less than two months since he joined the team, but it doesn’t look like there’s a whole lot of faith in his ability to bounce back from a rough start and his off-the-court problems.
Lawson joined the Rockets after he was traded by the Denver Nuggets in the offseason with his third DUI violation being too much for the team. The Rockets didn’t give up anyone they really wanted for him and got a second round pick in the 2017 draft as well while giving up a 2016 first round pick. This meant they believed Lawson could be a big contributor for the team down the road, but so far, it’s been a struggle for both him and the team.
Maybe they didn’t think about the Lawson – Harden factor. Harden is listed a shooting guard, but he loves the ball in his hands. Lawson isn’t a bad shooter, but he’s a point guard that needs the ball in his hands. The Rockets are Harden’s team, and all the postseason losses in the world aren’t going to change that, not yet at least. Lawson was wasted (not drunk, just badly used) standing in the corner waiting for a pass during a lot of his minutes sharing the floor with Harden.
Eventually, he got benched, first for Jason Terry, then for Patrick Beverley once he got back from injury. Lawson is averaging 7.5 points with 4.5 assists in 28.8 minutes with the Rockets, shooting only 35.1% from the field. His usage percentage (16%) is the lowest of his career.