Jeremy Lin started at point guard last year and had a decent season, scoring 13.4 points a game to go with 6.1 assists, but he shot only 33.9 percent from outside. It remains to be seen how the two would play off each other down low, but Howard has not played well in the past while on the court with another center. Realizing that $8.3 million for a backup center is a bit overpriced, coach Kevin McHale has stated that he wants to experiment with both Asik and Howard in the same lineup together. Now all of a sudden, Asik finds himself on the bench backing up Howard, who has played 36.1 minutes a game in his nine-year career. He earned himself a $25 million, three-year deal with the Rockets last offseason and started all 82 games in 2013, averaging over 10 points a game to go with 11.7 rebounds. The status of center Omer Asik is the elephant in the room. He says he is now fully healthy and ready to go, and some Rockets fans think he'll help propel the team deep into the playoffs now that he's had a year to get back into game shape. If Howard has difficulty assimilating with Harden, this offense could stall at times as both players try to figure out how best to work with each other.Īlso, keep in mind that Howard is not that far removed from back surgery, and it showed last season with the Lakers. Last year, the Rockets had one of the highest-scoring, fastest teams in the NBA, while Howard has always loved operating in the post. Harden is not considered a selfish player, averaging 5.8 assists a game last season, but he likes to have the ball in his hands and often initiates the offense. The Rockets were clearly Harden's team last year, and he was top-15 in the league in both minutes played and usage rate (a stat that shows the percentage of offensive possessions used by a player while he's on the floor, via ). Howard wants to be featured on offense, but so far in his career hasn't shown much willingness to adapt to a coach's scheme that isn't built around him. Even though Morey has hit it out of the park the last few summers - first acquiring shooting guard James Harden from the Thunder in the summer of 2012 and signing Howard this past offseason - there are still a few unanswered questions remaining for the team. Houston GM Daryl Morey deserves a round of applause from Rockets fans for not only convincing superstar center Dwight Howard to come to town, but also for maintaining a solid base of talent around him. Roster subtractions: James Anderson, Carlos Delfino, Tim Ohlbrecht, Thomas Robinson 34 overall), Marcus Camby, Omri Casspi, Reggie Williams Roster additions: Ronnie Brewer, Isaiah Canaan (Rookie, No. All Chris' team previews can be found right here. Chris has been doing great work on these previews, so for your Friday post here's his look at the Houston Rockets. NO.This important Western Conference preview got bumped off the cover by the national preview of the Blazers yesterday. Patrick Beverley will continue to start but Canaan will certainly get minutes because of the Rockets lack of depth and the former Murray State star has a chance to really carve out a role in Houston this season. Last year, he played in just 22 games, averaging 4.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 11.5 minutes per game. With Lin gone, Canaan is going to have a much bigger role. He averaged 18.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.8 assists per game last season. If the Rockets are going to go anywhere, Howard needs to turn them into one of the best defensive units in basketball, just like he did with the Orlando Magic. Howard hasn’t been that same player, largely because of his back injury, but last year he showed signs that he can still be effective on offense and an absolute monster on defense. Head Coach: Kevin McHale, fourth season (324-172, 133-97 with Rockets)ĭwight Howard is only a few years removed from being a legitimate MVP candidate and maybe even should have won the award back in 2011 ( Chicago Bulls‘ point guard Derrick Rose took home the MVP). Rookie Class: Clint Capela, Nick Johnson, Alessandro Gentile Key Departures: Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin They failed to land both Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh, lost Chandler Parsons to the Dallas Mavericks and traded both Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin. The Rockets tried to land a big fish in free agency and ultimately ended up losing depth, which has many questioning whether or not they can truly play with the elite teams in the Western Conference. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Houston, TX, USA Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) poses for a photo during media day at Toyota Center.
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