Blog | off-the-glass

Dec 6, 2019
4 min

Good to Great: How the Best Teams in the NBA Can Get Better

Franchise Sports The best teams in the NBA have begun to separate themselves from the pack. And with the fall of the Golden State Warriors dynasty, there’s plenty of space at the top of the basketball mountain. From Long Beach to Cream City, from H-Town to Bean Town, there are some seriously good clubs in the Association this season. But what can they do to get even better? (Stats via NBA.com) Honorable Mentions A few of your favorite teams may not have made the following lis

OTG's All-Decade Team: Houston Rockets Edition

Dalton Pence

Dec 5, 2019
3 min

OTG's All-Decade Team: Houston Rockets Edition

Tony Gutierrez (AP) With the past decade coming to a close, what better way to ring in the new decade by reflecting on the past. Off the Glass is taking a look at each NBA team and selecting their All-Decade squad, which is defined by one guard, one forward, one center, a role player (someone not selected as an All-Star, or to an All-NBA team), and one wildcard. Today we are highlighting the Houston Rockets. Guard: James Harden. The Beard arrived in Space City just before the

Justin Vigil-Zuniga

Oct 30, 2019
3 min

Opening Week Duds

SLC Dunk Hey hey hey! The NBA season is finally back and with the surprising studs of opening week, there come the duds. There have been no shortage of duds in less than a week of play but there are definitely some notable names worth a mention who aren’t looking anything like themselves. Mike Conley The Jazz acquired the veteran point guard in a huge trade sending Kyle Korver, Jae Crowder, Grayson Allen, and a pair of first round picks all for Conley in hopes he’d solidify t

Are the Milwaukee Bucks the New Post-Harden Oklahoma City Thunder?

Justin Quinn

Oct 25, 2019
5 min

Are the Milwaukee Bucks the New Post-Harden Oklahoma City Thunder?

Hoops Hype Just days before the seven-year anniversary of the deal that brought James Harden to the Houston Rockets, a response to a question posed by an academic to the Milwaukee Bucks' marquee player ought to be giving that team's ownership considerable pause. At first glance, the connection between The Beard ending up in Texas and Giannis Antetokounmpo speaking to Harvard academics might not be so obvious, but let me explain. In a recent interview with Harvard Business Sch

2019-20 NBA Team Preview Series: Houston Rockets

Dalton Pence

Oct 20, 2019
2 min

2019-20 NBA Team Preview Series: Houston Rockets

SI The 2019-2020 NBA season starts October 22nd and to get you ready for tip-off, Off the Glass is previewing all 30 teams. Today we look at the Houston Rockets. 2018-19 Record: 53-29; 1st in Southwest Division; lost to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals (4-2). Season Recap: After almost knocking off the Warriors the postseason prior, the Rockets stumbled out of the gate last season due to injuries, bad rotational fits, and subpar efforts. However,

Global Expansion Bringing Global Problems Close to Home for the NBA

Justin Quinn

Oct 17, 2019
5 min

Global Expansion Bringing Global Problems Close to Home for the NBA

Forbes With the NBA's reach extending further than ever before globally, it has found itself embroiled in a tense international situation, one that is beginning to be felt both in business interests and outspoken players like the Boston Celtics' Enes Kanter. After Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey sparked an international incident by tweeting his support for pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, the ripples have been shaking a delicate balance the league has attempted to maintai

NBA Fantasy: Predicting the Top 3 In Total Assists for the 2019-20 Season

Charles Allen

Sep 19, 2019
3 min

NBA Fantasy: Predicting the Top 3 In Total Assists for the 2019-20 Season

NBCSports Very few plays make jaws drop like a perfectly-placed pass in transition. NBA point guards who can make difficult passes to set up their teammates with open shots can make crowds leap to their feet. Like the old ad once said: ‘Why did the Chosen One ask for court vision? For the glory of the team!’ In terms of fantasy basketball, there is more to drafting a guy than just being a fancy passer. Those passes have to become assists to truly make an impact. When drafting

The 5 NBA Coaches With the Most to Prove This Season

Cameron Tabatabaie

Aug 25, 2019
4 min

The 5 NBA Coaches With the Most to Prove This Season

@Raptors/Twitter The NBA head coach scene, for the moment, is rather tame. This summer didn’t see all that much in the way of coaching turnover, certainly not in comparison to the epic amount of player movement and roster overhauls. Still water runs deep, however. With so many changes and so many teams in contention this upcoming season, there will be plenty of NBA coaches facing enormous pressure to produce. Frank Vogel USA TODAY Sports No surprises here; coaching LeBron Jam

2019-20 NBA Schedule: The Worst Games of the Season

Gus Saltonstall

Aug 13, 2019
4 min

2019-20 NBA Schedule: The Worst Games of the Season

Detroit Bad Boys The NBA just released the official schedule for the 2019-20 season. Already articles from OTG, ESPN, Bleacher Report, and many others have released enticing works on the best matchups of the coming season. Plenty of information is available on such story lines as the Christmas slate of games, and which team has to travel the longest distance during their campaign. There’s importance in knowing when the first time the new look Los Angeles team’s duke it out ag

Hot Take Marathon: Houston’s MVPs Will Miss the Playoffs

Justin Vigil-Zuniga

Aug 13, 2019
2 min

Hot Take Marathon: Houston’s MVPs Will Miss the Playoffs

Getty Images Rockets general manager Darryl Morey has rolled the dice once again in hopes of bringing Houston its first title in over 20 years. Morey mortgaged the future sending two first-round picks to Oklahoma City as well as a couple pick swaps away for 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook. Do the picks mean anything to Morey, though? Houston has shown they're new approach to team building: forgo the draft entirely. The team hasn't made a first-round selection since 2015, and that

2019-20 NBA Schedule: 10 Must-Watch Games

William Jackson

Aug 13, 2019
4 min

2019-20 NBA Schedule: 10 Must-Watch Games

Finally! We know the schedules of all 30 teams for the 74th NBA season, and there are plenty of storylines to follow. From the return of Russell Westbrook to the debut of Zion Williamson, here are the top 10 games that you must tune into this season. 10. Golden State Warriors at Toronto Raptors; March 16th, 2020 Sports Illustrated A rematch of the NBA Finals is always going to be a must watch game, despite Kawhi not playing in this one. Steph Curry, Draymond Green and D'Angel

Hot Take Marathon: The Houston Rockets Will Win The NBA Championship in 2019

Gus Saltonstall

Aug 9, 2019
5 min

Hot Take Marathon: The Houston Rockets Will Win The NBA Championship in 2019

For The Win - USA Today With the talent of James Harden and Russell Westbrook, the coaching of Mike D’Antoni, and the roster moves of Daryl Morey — the Houston Rockets will win the NBA Championship in the 2019-20 season. The team currently sits with the fourth highest odds to win the title in the coming season, according to Vegas. However, the general conversation around the NBA media and twitter world has the Rockets far and away behind the two teams from Los Angeles, Milwau

Dalton Pence

Aug 9, 2019
3 min

What’s the Next Step for James Harden?

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images I did a piece on James Harden around this time last year and how he could make small, but effective improvements in his game. However, the Rockets’ superstar said “hold my beer” and recorded one of the greatest offensive seasons by an individual in NBA history. So here I am, a year later, preparing to ask myself that same question that I thought was hard to ask last year: how does James Harden get even better? There are no clear cut a

OTG Staff

Aug 3, 2019
5 min

Roundtable: Riskiest 2019 Offseason?

The Ringer It's that time of year again - the crickets are chirping, sportswriters are yawning, and the curtains have (basically) closed on the 2019 NBA Offseason. With that being said, we'd be remiss if we didn't get some staff opinions on an absolute whirlwind of a summer; we're certain that our talented writers have some colourful opinions on what went down this past month. With that being said, it's time... for another OTG Roundtable! The question: Which team had the risk

Takeaways From the Russell Westbrook-Chris Paul Trade

Marquist Parker

Jul 12, 2019
2 min

Takeaways From the Russell Westbrook-Chris Paul Trade

NYDaily How will Westbrook and Harden fit together? Whenever a star joins up with another star, the most popular statement to hear is ”there is only one ball”. Never has this saying been truer than with the reunion of Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Two high-usage players who have problems with turnovers on one team sounds like a recipe for disaster. However, these two, per reports, wanted to play together, which may be an indication of a desire to make this unorthodox p

Tim Hanna

Jun 27, 2019
2 min

2019 NBA Free Agents: JJ Redick

NBA.com Overview: In his 13th NBA season, JJ Redick averaged a career high 18.1 PPG and was an integral part in the 76ers playoff run. He set a franchise record with 240 made three-pointers in the 2018-2019 season. Regular Season Stats: 18.1 PPG; 50.2 2P%; 39.7 3P%; 89.4 FT%; 2.7 AST; 2.4 REB; 1.3 TOV; 0.4 STL; 0.2 BLK Postseason Stats: 13.4 PPG; 48.6 2P%; 41.4 3P%; 85.0 FT%; 1.6 AST; 1.4 REB; 1.8 TOV; 0.1 STL; 0.3 BLK Age: 35 (Turned 35 on June 24th) Strengths: JJ Redick is

William Jackson

Jun 20, 2019
2 min

2019 NBA Free Agents: Al Horford

NBC Boston Overview: In his 12th year in the NBA, Horford and the Celtics found their way into the playoffs as a four seed. Averaging a career low in rebounds, yet a career high in 2P%, it was an up and down season for Horford. It was to everyone’s surprise that Horford declined his $30M option for the 2019-2020 season, as he is unlikely to find that type of money in free agency. Regular Season Stats: 13.6 PPG 60.4 2P% 36% 3P% 82% FT% 4.2 AST 6.7 REB 1.5 TOV 0.9 STL 1.3 BLK P

All-NBA Role Player Team: Playoff Edition

Justin Levine

May 9, 2019
3 min

All-NBA Role Player Team: Playoff Edition

During the NBA postseason, the game slows down, execution is at a premium, and the stars shine their brightest. From Kevin Durant’s unstoppable scoring, Kawhi Leonard’s two-way excellence, and Damian Lillard waving goodbye to the Thunder, the 2019 playoffs have been dominated by heroic, big-name performances. Behind the scenes, however, it is the role players that give their teams a chance to succeed. One must look past the high-profile players to see how games are truly on

Five Thoughts: Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets

Kyle Russell

May 3, 2019
3 min

Five Thoughts: Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets

USA Today The last time these two teams met in the playoffs, the Houston Rockets lost to the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals after missing a soul crushing 27 straight 3-point attempts. The Rockets revived themselves midseason and came back to try again but currently find themselves down 2-0 to the Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals. Game 3 isn’t until Saturday so until then here’s five thoughts from the first two games. 1. Here

Five Thoughts: Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors Game 1

Justin Levine

Apr 30, 2019
3 min

Five Thoughts: Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors Game 1

RASA Deportes To kick off the rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals, the Warriors and Rockets provided an entertaining affair that did not see a double digit lead at any point during the game. After careful viewing and reflection, here are five thoughts regarding game one of this fascinating series. The Warriors are currently facing the toughest opponent they will see. While neither team played particularly well Sunday afternoon, the Rockets confirmed they are th