Gregg Popovich is maybe the best basketball coach of all time, so when he says he does a certain thing, it’s probably a pretty good way to go about coaching a basketball team. On Thursday, Pop discussed one thing he likes to do that kind of flies in the face of conventional wisdom: he doesn’t watch film this early in the season. He didn’t really go into too many details as to why, but if Pop says he’s not big on watching film, who are we to question his methods?
But recently, one team and one player have emerged as a must-watch for Pop. It’s a team that San Antonio has faced three times already this season, and all of those games have been within six points.
Pop said he doesn't watch game tape on the opponent this time of year. "Except for the Rockets. Harden is ridiculous."
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) December 23, 2016
All this film has probably helped the Spurs defend Harden. In three games against San Antonio, Harden is shooting threes at a 16 percent clip, which is the lowest mark that he’s had against any one team this year. He’s still found ways to carve up San Antonio – Harden’s averaging 26.7 points, 11.7 assists, and 11 rebounds in those games – but the Rockets possess a 1-2 record against the Spurs this year.
Even if Pop is only watching for entertainment, it’s obviously paying dividends on the court. And let’s face it, if you want to watch an NBA team for entertainment purposes, you can’t do much better than Harden and the Rockets.