After his unceremonious departure from Denver, Ty Lawson is poised for a revival under the tutelage of Kevin McHale and the Houston Rockets. Lawson’s presence in the Rocky Mountains grew toxic after he was charged with his second DUI in a calendar year. Lawson didn’t like Denver; Denver didn’t like Lawson. His arrival in Houston inserts another talented point guard into the Western Conference pantheon.
Lawson welcomes the fierce competition at his position in the West and has some interesting thoughts on the point guard who bounced the Rockets out of the playoffs last spring. In an interview with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Lawson claims that Steph Curry wasn’t challenged defensively during the Western Conference Finals.
“Steph Curry needed someone to go back at him,” Lawson told Yahoo Sports. “I thought Steph was just chillin’ on defense – and then going crazy on offense. He looked like he was just putting shots up and not working so much on the defensive end. He would just come down and hit three or four 3’s. He can shoot when he’s got his legs under him.”
Lawson’s comments hold water on a theoretical level. If primary scorers aren’t pushed on the defensive end, it leaves them with plenty of energy to execute their entire offensive repertoire – and that goes tenfold for shooters. However, Curry is not of this earth, and it has been proven that Lawson’s offensive force cannot deter Steph. During the 2013 playoffs, Curry played pop-a-shot against the Nuggets en route to a first round playoff upset. Lawson, standing at 5’11, doesn’t have the size or length to disrupt Curry’s smooth shooting form.
Nonetheless, Lawson should provide the Rockets with the secondary ball handler they desperately needed last season. If his off-court issues prove a thing of the past, Lawson could very well see Curry in the playoffs next spring.
(via Yahoo)
