NBA Preview Series: Houston Rockets

Last Year

54 – 28 (T-5th in NBA)

OFF: 108.6 (4th)

DEF: 103.1 (12th)

NET: 5.5 (5th)

Projected Rotation (Projected WS/48)

Starters

PG – Patrick Beverly (.115)

SG – James Harden (.211)

SF – Trevor Ariza (.130)

PF – Terrence Jones (.158)

C – Dwight Howard (.149)

Reserves

PF – Donatas Motiejunas (.072)

SG – Troy Daniels (.110)

SF – Kostas Papanikolaou (-)

SG – Francisco Garcia (.072)

C – Clint Capela (-)

Quick Thoughts:

Much has been made of Houston’s big “whiff” this offseason, but they ended up in better shape than many would have you believe. Trevor Ariza is a suitable replacement for Chandler Parsons, if not an upgrade, and Terrence Jones is very underrated. After playing only 276 minutes as a rookie, Jones produced 7.3 win shares last year, more than guys like Paul Millsap, Kenneth Faried, and Zach Randolph. Bosh would have really helped them defensively though, and their bench remains unproven. But a strong starting unit and an elite offense should keep the Rockets in the West’s top four.

Player to Watch: Clint Capela

The rookie from Switzerland rated well in draft models produced by Arturo Galletti at Boxscore Geeks and ESPN’s Kevin Pelton. Galletti had him at the top of his draft board, while Pelton had him second. His ability to finish near the rim, along with his elite rebounding and shot blocking tools, means Capela could be in the mold of DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond (he is even a poor free throw shooter). Given the Rocket’s lack of proven depth, his development could give some credibility to the second unit.


Basketball-Reference.com Play Index:
How many players have posted a True Shooting Percentage of at least 60% and a Rebounding Rate of at least 20% in the same season?

Rk	Player	From	To	Tm	Lg	Count
1	Dwight Howard	2007	2014	TOT	NBA	6
2	Dikembe Mutombo	2000	2007	TOT	NBA	2
3	Joel Przybilla	2008	2009	POR	NBA	2
4	Charles Barkley*	1987	1987	PHI	NBA	1
5	Andrew Bogut	2014	2014	GSW	NBA	1
6	Wilt Chamberlain*	1972	1972	LAL	NBA	1
7	Tyson Chandler	2007	2007	NOK	NBA	1
8	DeAndre Jordan	2014	2014	LAC	NBA	1
9	Shawn Kemp	1996	1996	SEA	NBA	1
10	Moses Malone*	1979	1979	HOU	NBA	1
11	Robert Parish*	1989	1989	BOS	NBA	1
12	Buck Williams	1982	1982	NJN	NBA	1

Yeah, let's not forget how good Dwight Howard is.


Next up, the Phoenix Suns.