Houston Rockets: Three role players earning playing time in the preseason
By T.A. Mock
Marquese Chriss, C
Marquese Chriss was a part of the infamous trade that finally saw Ryan Anderson and his albatross of a contract leave Houston. Chriss comes to the Houston Rockets nearing a make it or break it point in his career.
Chriss never really fit in in Pheonix despite immense athletic potential. The scheme never really worked and he couldn’t route crack consistent minutes in the rotation. So, the Suns decided to abandon ship two years in.
That being said, I absolutely love the potential of Chriss on this Houston Rockets team. He has been dubbed Clint Capela-lite and I honestly think that that’s a great a comparison. Will he ever be Capela? No, probably not. Could he provide Capela-esque minutes off of the bench when Capela needs a breather? Absolutely.
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They are nearly identical in size and both of incredible hops. Chriss is also stout defensively, just like our man Capela. Per 36 minutes in his career, he’s averaged 1.5 blocks a game and in the preseason this year, he’s averaged 2.5 blocks per game.
Chriss and Hartenstein are nearly polar opposite players. However, they’re battling for the same minutes behind Capela. This preseason will go a long way to figuring out who gets the first look at being the backup center this year. So far, both have impressed, just in different ways.
The Rockets have about a week and a half and two more games to figure this out. In all likelihood, this battle will progress well into the season as both young players vie for key minutes off of the bench.
Next. How the Rockets can swing a trade for Jimmy Butler. dark
It’ll be interesting to see what these three guys can do for this Houston Rockets team this year. They’re all definitely vying for minutes off of the bench this year and provide phenomenal depth to this team, probably the best depth this team has had in a long, long time.