Five Takeaways From The Houston Rockets’ Hot Start

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

(16) against the New Orleans Pelicans 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

3 – Kostas Papnikolaou continues to impress

When you look at this Houston Rockets bench, there isn’t much to like about it. The bench reeks of inexperienced young players and veterans that have seen the best of their days in this league (To be more direct, Jason Terry).

However, there is one player that definitely stands out amongst the mediocrity of this bench; Kostas Papanikolaou. The 24-year old had a nice showing in Miami on Tuesday (8 points, 7 boards, and 5 assists) and is averaging 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists for these past 5 games.

What really stands out to me is his play-making ability. The young man has been very adept at giving Dwight Howard the ball in the right places and seems to be the only player other than James Harden to do so. His shooting could use a little work (Frankly, his jumpshot is a little flat for the NBA) and he’s still very rough around the edges, but Pap never fails to give your his 100% on both ends of the court every night. He gives off a Ricky Rubio-esque feel to his game that is entertaining to watch.

K-Pap been a tenacious defender (averaging 1.2 steals a game which is extremely good for a bench player) and an active rebounder.

Overall, Rockets’ fans should like what they are seeing and look forward to seeing this guy develop. Truly a needle in the haystack of a weak bench.