Houston Rockets: Why Lou Williams Will Be A Seamless Fit

When we thought things were going to be quiet up until the trade deadline for the Houston Rockets, the announcement we all had been waiting for was made last night.

When we thought things were going to be quiet up until the trade deadline for the Houston Rockets, the announcement we all had been waiting for was made last night.

Yes, the Houston Rockets were able to complete a trade before the deadline and it certainly was one that helped with team depth.

It wasn’t a blockbuster trade — we didn’t need one — as opposed to others that were announced but it was one that helped both parties.

Those are the kind of deals that you like to hear about and we’ll be looking forward to see how this pans out.

So with all this commentary aside, who did we go out and get?

None other than guard Lou Williams.

I had admired the emergence of Williams as a member of the cast of the Los Angeles Lakers and it was only a matter of time where other teams would have an appetite for him.

Luckily, it was my hometown team that had that said appetite and now he’s on board.

Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical, as expected, broke the news on this deal:

This was a small price to pay to get a talent like Williams who will make an impact immediately.

The Rockets did, in fact, trade away their 2017 first-rounder to the Lakers and were also able to dump Corey Brewer as well.

Brewer, who had some flashes of brilliance as a Rocket, had severely waned in production as a regular rotation guy for this team.

He had been averaging 4.2 points per game and 23.4 percent from behind-the-arc through 58 games this season.

With Montrezl Harrell and Sam Dekker playing extremely well in their roles, there was no need to keep this year’s first-rounder as there likely wouldn’t be enough room to carry him on the roster for next year.

Although it depends on the success of this team in their likely postseason run, I’d fully expect Daryl Morey to bring this same team back next season.

So what is it that Lou can do?

The question should be: What CAN’T this guy do?

For starters, he brings plenty of energy to this team and he’ll be able to run the pick-and-roll with precision!

For a guy that has also been the mix for Sixth Man of the Year, he had been averaging career highs offensively despite averaging just 24.2 minutes per game.

That’s high production in a short amount of time on the court and these are the type of players the Rockets love.

And for that, I’m glad he’s here.

His defense is a bit less than desired but that’s something that defensive wizard Jeff Bzdelik can work with him on.

His skills as a facilitator are underrated and it’s going to be exciting to watch Lou throw lobs to Clint Capela while on mop-up duty off the bench!

Because of my ongoing health concerns of Patrick Beverley and Eric Gordon, this deal was necessitated so that they’d have someone who take reins when needed.

Although James Harden‘s minutes are managed quite well by the coaching staff, this also give him an opportunity to rest a bit more with another explosive guard in the mix.

Remember, this team revolves around Harden’s success and his readiness is a must in order for this team to excel.

Quite honestly, this is as best of deal you can get and I quite honestly didn’t see Morey being able to pull this one off.

Next: Should The Rockets Pursue Larry Sanders?

But he did and we should all be proud that we have him in the trenches at the front office for the Houston Rockets.

We’ll get to see how this all works either tomorrow against the New Orleans Pelicans but likely Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves as Williams will have to clear a few hurdles of paperwork and physicals.

I can’t wait and I also have a feeling Morey will make another move to make for extra depth in the paint before tomorrow’s deadline.

Williams, 30, has been averaging 18.6 points, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals while shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from three and 88.4 percent from the charity stripe through 58 games this season.

Go Rockets.