The Houston Rockets were able to nab forward DeMarre Carroll to provide reinforcement in their small-ball lineup. How’s it working so far? Let’s look.
TheHoustonRockets are out of the All-Star Break with their sights set on finishing out the season strong. There’s a lot of the line for this team to succeed, considering that Daryl Morey has conducted the equivalent of two Hail Mary passes in their 2019-20 campaign.
The first, of course, was when theHoustonRockets traded awayChris PaulforRussell Westbrookwith a plethora of future draft picks in between in the near future. It’s tough to tell what this team will look like in 2026, the last season of which the team will no longer have to send picks over to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It’s more important than ever to focus on the now and that’s why Morey made his second pass with the trade ofClint Capelato the Atlanta Hawks, in exchange forRobert Covington. Morey had to give upGerald Green,Nene Hilarioand the team’s 2020 first-round pick in order to make the deal happen.
Covington is a talented ballplayer and his insertion into the lineup appears to be seamless since he was acquired. His 6-foot-7 frame has been used in various lineups where he was the center and it’s his prolific shooting and terrific defense that makes him the complete player that theHoustonRockets needed.
But, as you know, theHoustonRockets’ assets are limited in terms of what they can trade and it
was amazing they were able to pull the latter deal off before the deadline.
Nonetheless, you shouldn’t be surprised that Morey was able to pull off the deal that could catapult theHoustonRockets’ success.
Those deals were great but it still didn’t go far enough in terms of solidifying their leadership within the Western Conference.
This team had to be active on the buyout market because of their limited cap space and the 6-foot-6DeMarre Carrollbecame exactly what the doctor ordered when terms were agreed upon to not only his buyout from the San Antonio Spurs but his acquisition by theHoustonRockets.
I was excited when Carroll, 33, was snatched up by this team because he fits so well into what this team does and his defensive, shot-selection, offensive prowess all still shine as he advances into
the latter years of his career.
TheHoustonRockets still needed that spark off the bench — making the unit even stronger — in this small-ball lineup and Carroll is certainly that guy, getting quality minutes to fit that bill.
He’s also the type of guy that you can spot-start at times, which were largely situational depending on matchups, load management and/or injuries.
I’m more excited than ever to have him here and I hope he continues to do amazing for theHoustonRockets.
He’s off to a solid start so far, especially with his awesome drive to the bucket with 3:04 left in the game against the New York Knicks, drawing a foul while doing so.
Up until tonight’s game, Carroll was averaging 2.2 points, 2.1 rebounds along with a .310/.231/.636 shooting line. These numbers are nothing to write home about but he was seldom used with the Spurs and that has changed nearly immediately since his insertion into this lineup.
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