Lawson's rehab was 'eye-opening'; plans to make Curry work harder on defense
With his Denver Nuggets tenure and court-ordered rehab behind him, Ty Lawson is focused on his responsibilities with his new team.
But he says he hasn't forgotten the lessons learned from his recent personal struggles.
The newest member of the Houston Rockets talked to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski about his experiences at the 30-day alcohol rehabilitation program he completed during the offseason.
"It was eye-opening to me," he explained. "I didn't think alcoholism got that bad. But it does.
"There were people who were pushed into (the rehab facility) by family, and then me, who was court-ordered. Just to see that it can get that bad, that you can die. You may not see that as a person until you're already there."
After being arrested for driving under the influence for the second time this year in July, Lawson was ordered by a Colorado judge to enrol in a month-long treatment program in Malibu, Calif.
"I still honestly don't think I would've had to go in there if it wasn't court-ordered. I just made two dumb mistakes. But I did take things from the (rehabilitation facility)," he added.
The 27-year-old seems intent on using his transition to Texas as a turning point as he enters his seventh season in the NBA.
And he plans on making his impact on defense, particularly when his Rockets face their Western Conference finals foes from last year's playoffs - the Golden State Warriors.
"I thought Steph was just chillin' on defense - and then going crazy on offense," Lawson said of Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry's nearly unstoppable performances in the 2015 postseason.
"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 threes. He can shoot when he's got his legs under him."
Lawson's blueprint to bolster the Rockets' backcourt defense when it comes to shutting down "Chef Curry": make the 2015 NBA MVP work hard when his team doesn't have the ball.
Although Lawson's scheme is wise in theory, forcing Curry to perform on defense may be a welcome challenge for the "Baby-Faced Assassin."
In 2014-15, Curry ranked first in the league in steals (163) and fifteenth in defensive win shares. Backed by such stats, Curry is clearly no stranger to hard-nosed defense, so Lawson and fellow floor general Patrick Beverley will likely have their work cut out for them when they face the Dubs.
Nevertheless, the Rockets project to be a top-tier team in the much-improved West this upcoming season, with Lawson hoping to be the piece that gets them over the hump.