As the Golden State Warriors prepare for their tough first-round matchup against the young and hungry Houston Rockets, the coaching staff, led by head coach Steve Kerr, is certainly scheming up any possible way to gain an advantage against Ime Udoka's defensive squad.
The Rockets this season had the fifth-best defense in the NBA, posting a 110.3 defensive rating and utilizing the length and intensity of their young players, including Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, to pressure their opponents into turnovers and offensive breakdowns.
In their last matchup with the Warriors, the Rockets defeated them handily, holding Golden State to 96 points and shutting down star guard Steph Curry through constant double-teaming.
However, as the Warriors go into Houston for Game 1, they have a specific advantage they can exploit in order to expose the flaws in the Rockets defense: one that could be the key to them winning the series.
Jimmy Butler must hunt Jalen Green on offense
Green, who, along with Alperen Sengun, is one of the drivers of the Rockets' offense, has averaged 21 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists through 82 games this season.
Yet, as strong as the Rockets are defensively, Green can be seen as a weak link in their staunch play on that end of the court. With a 111.1 defensive rating on the season, Green has the worst defensive profile of all regular rotation players for the Rockets.
At just 6-foot-4, 178 pounds, he struggles to stay in front of more physical players, and his inability to guard other star players in isolation puts an additional burden on the Rockets' help defenders, at times throwing off their rotations and adjustments.
While it is likely that Thompson and Fred VanVleet will be tied up trying to slow down the off-ball movement of Curry, it is possible that the Warriors could create switches in such a way that Butler will be able to drive at Green on a routine basis.
Not only could this create a series of advantageous scoring situations for Butler, it could also create foul trouble for Green, effectively enabling Golden State to play Houston's offensive star off the floor in crucial scenarios.
Even against the 7-foot-4 Zach Edey in the play-in matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, Butler capitalized upon the space given to him, building momentum and causing foul trouble for Edey.
If the Warriors can scheme their offense, using the spacing of their perimeter shooters, in such a way that Butler can take advantage of this matchup, the team may be able to unlock a cheat code to bypass the Rockets' staunch defense.