Houston Rockets: Three reasons team should start Gary Clark now

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DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 13: Mason Plumlee #24 of the Denver Nuggets is blocked going to the basket by P.J. Tucker #17 and Gary Clark #6 of the Houston Rockets at the Pepsi Center on November 13, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Reason #1: What Clark does best to help the team

Clark has been a tremendous boost to this lineup since having a more prominent role in the rotation. He certainly is a player that has utility belt of options at his disposal but his calling card is his three-point shooting.

He tends to be in the right position to get open to catch the ball and shoot whenever the situation warrants, and as of late, he has been able to nail the big shot.

He provides instant offense off the bench and usually gives the lineup out on the floor a quick instillation of effectiveness on both ends of the floor.

Although Clark is shooting just 30.4 percent from behind-the-arc for the season, he has nailed six of his last 16 threes over the past four games, increasing that clip to 37.5 percent. That’s ideally where you’d want a shooter to be that’s a member of this roster in terms of marksmanship and it goes to show that he’s improving day-by-day.

His counterpart, James Ennis, is hitting his threes at a 39.5 percent clip but he’s not doing at such a high-volume, going 4-for-16 (25 percent) in that same stretch of four games.

He’s deft with his movements and continues to find a way to get open and that was certainly demonstrated in Thursday night’s contest against the Warriors.

Although Mike D’Antoni has a strong disdain for allowing rookies to have a prominent role, he could buck that trend with the impact that Clark has made so far.

With the exception of the contest against the Denver Nuggets back Nov. 13, Clark has not played less than 20 minutes per since Nov. 3. He logged a career-high 33 minutes against the Indiana Pacers this past Sunday and was still a +16 when in the lineup.

So what about the effect Clark makes on his teammates? Let’s take a gander at some more.

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