Houston Rockets Players Shine In Training Camp

Oct 13, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Nick Johnson (3) reacts after making a basket during the second quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

NBA teams are now half way through the 2014 training camp.  The Rockets are 3-1 although playing without Dwight Howard in three games and James Harden in the past two games.  Recently acquired Jason Terry has yet to play as well.  The absence of the Rockets’ stars and new veterans could be slowing this team’s ability to gain cohesiveness, so that effort will likely drift into the regular season.

However, Harden and Howard’s absence is giving more time for the coaching staff to evaluate all the new players fighting for a job on the bench as well as the young players that were in the organization last year and see how far they have come.

So two weeks in and half the preseason games played, what do we know so far?

There has also been a noticeable difference and improvement thus far in the defensive intensity and effort, team-wide.  There are still some tough roster moves to be made and a number of the backup roles are still up for grabs.

The Backcourt

In the competition for the backup point guard, Isaiah Canaan has clearly out played Ish Smith.  Canaan has averaged 10.2 points a game in only 13.3 minutes per, an extremely high rate.  He has also bested Smith in assists with 2.25 per game to Smith’s 2.0 in more minutes, with Smith averaging 17.7 minutes a game.

Oct 13, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Isaiah Canaan (0) drives the ball as Phoenix Suns guard

(20) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Some have championed Smith as the favorite because he’s a slightly more prototypical point guard who distributes and defends.  Distributes? Yes.  Good defender? The historical numbers simply don’t bear that out.

Head Coach Kevin McHale has appeared to favor Smith initially as he has entered as the #2 point guard in all games thus far, but this should change as Canaan is making it too difficult for him to ignore.  Here at House of Houston, we still believe that Smith is on the short list of potential cuts heading into the season even though he has a guaranteed veteran minimum contract for this season.

Also figuring into this mix at some point although not likely early in the year, is rookie Nick Johnson.  Johnson had ups-and-downs with turnovers in the first two games but has settled in a bit in the last two games and has had several flashes of what he showed in the summer league, prompting the Rockets to give him a three-year guaranteed contract.

Johnson has not looked overwhelmed as can often be the case with 2nd round draft picks.  He’s shown an outside side-shot with a couple back-to-back threes in the Phoenix game and some nice assists in the New Orleans game.  And coincidentally, although it is a concern, Johnson has had less turnovers than Smith as well.  Johnson is staying, although likely to spend at least the first part of the season with the Vipers in the D-league, likely to work more on playing the point guard spot to see if he can develop in that role.

At the shooting guard position, with Harden out, McHale has experimented with Greek import Kostas Papanikolaou who has been slated as one of the options as a backup forward.  The experiment at shooting guard has shown mixed results.  Papanikolaou got into serious and quick foul trouble against their past game against the Phoenix Suns and had to sit for much of the game.

Oct 14, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Houston Rockets guard

(30) shoots over New Orleans Pelicans guard

(10) during the second half of a preseason game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Rockets 117-98. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Barring a surprise showing from Terry, Troy Daniels should have cemented the backup shooting guard spot.  Daniels (highlights here) has picked up right where he left off last season showing ice water in his veins with his three-point shooting, going 9-for-17 so far for 53 percent.  That kind of shooting has to find some minutes or someone should be looking for a new job.

Daniels may be a little small to defend some shooting guards in the league but gives max effort on the defensive end. The Rockets may have to pick their spots to play him, but he is too good of a three-point shooter to sit 3^rd string on the bench.  They must find ways to get him minutes.  At his rate of shooting, giving him 15 minutes of playing time could easily net 12 points a game.  And the opportunities will be even greater with Harden and Howard on the court.

Click NEXT to see the update on the Frontcourt players and a summary on the decisions ahead.