In his first unofficial game as a Rocket on Friday, 7-foot forward/center Donatas Motiejunas did not disappoint, compiling 25 points and nine rebounds in a 93-81 Houston win over Toronto in Las Vegas. (Associated Press photo).
It’s only one game. An unofficial one, at that, against peers who will likely see more time in the D-League than the NBA come the 2012-13 NBA season.
That’s what I had to keep telling myself as I watched the Rockets open summer league play with a 93-81 win over Toronto in Las Vegas on Friday afternoon. Then again, as a Rockets fan these days, I’ll take any inkling of hope I can get, and if that means going gaga over the Rockets’ batch of tantalizing youth talent, then so be it. Because if anyone came away with any impression at all after Friday, it was this: the Rockets’ future is bright. Very bright.
With Houston in the midst of heated talks for the Magic’s Dwight Howard – where it is almost certain a great deal of that youth and promise we saw Friday will be dealt away for Orlando’s disgruntled mega superstar – the game at least gave a slight bit of hesitation to Rockets fans who want nothing more than to see Howard wearing No. 12 in the red and silver. For the record, I do not want Howard. It’s not worth mortgaging the future for a moody individual who has made it perfectly clear he will not re-up with Houston once his contract expires next summer. I see it as extremely, and uncharacteristically, short-sighted that Rockets GM Daryl Morey just give away all the assets and young talent he has worked so hard to acquire over the last four years in a move that reeks of desperation and all style and little substance. That’s just my opinion.
The Rockets talent that took the floor Friday was just too overwhelming, in my eyes.
– Motiejunas is incredible. He is 7-feet, 222 pounds and not yet even 22 years old. He amassed 25 points and 9 rebounds, and made it all look so freakin’ easy, playing with a distinct purpose in the paint against a relatively experienced Raptors frontcourt. He ran the court like a gazelle, established position early and then burned his defender witha series of jump hooks, power moves or simple duck-ins. If that wasn’t enough, he went deep and buried two long 3s from the right wing and corner, showing no hesitation to rise up and shoot as soon as the ball was rotated his way. His stroke is pure, and he is sure and able around the rim, shooting 11 for 13 overall. He’s got to work on free throws, though. He missed four of five.
– In case we didn’t know already, the Rockets are in trouble at the point guard spot. Their lone two floor leaders on the roster are the two available in this summer league now that Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic were either traded or departed for perceived greener pastures earlier this summer. The 5-foot-10 Courtney Fortson, essentially an iffy-shooting guard in a point’s body, missed six of his seven shots, and 6-foot-1 undrafted guard Scott Machado, who led the nation in assists last year, missed five of his six shots and had five assists to four turnovers, often forcing the issue way too much, though that’s expected. Houston is in trouble here. Bad. One point guard I don’t trust to run the offense and set up his teammates, and the other has a tendency to try too much. The good news – aside from the fact that it was indeed just one game, and the first at that – is the Rockets boast an assortment of bigs who are versatile and have the skillset to handle the ball, lead a break and find teammates. More on that later.
– It’s only been one game (again, I have to keep reminding myself), but let me just get this out of the way now: I was wrong about Terrence Jones. I thought the 6-foot-9, 252-pound, No. 18 pick of the first round this year was nothing more than a carbon copy of current Rocket Patrick Patterson, also a product of Kentucky. No. Not at all. Jones can handle the ball. He can take a man off the dribble. He can shoot from distance. He can bang and rebound and defend the post. He’s simply more versatile than Patterson, can do more things with the ball. Not only that, if you heard on NBA TV how coach Kevin McHale gushes over him like none other – calling Jones “my guy” – then you know Patterson’s minutes and spot in the rotation are in jeopardy. Jones made just 4 of his 11 shots, but he made a 3, hit all eight of his free throws and contributed 17 points and 9 rebounds.
– I liked what I saw out of 6-foot-5 wing Jeremy Lamb, the Rockets’ No. 12 pick in the first round, but I wasn’t blown away. Lamb did what we all figured he could do: he scored, and scored a lot. He had 16 points, made 6 of his 11 shots and did little else. He can create off the dribble and attack and is a confident shooter, willing shot-taker. He is a lot like Kevin Martin, except he attacks the paint and loves the floater and doesn’t rely strictly on the jumper. He is a steady presence out there, which is nice for a youngster playing with young teammates, but guards like him who can score with ease are a dime a dozen in this league, especially at an average size like him.
– I am in love with the Rockets’ plethora of versatile bigs. In. Love. Whether it’s 6-foot-9 Chandler Parsons, the 6-foot-9 Jones or even 6-foot-8 Royce White (in a pinch), the Rockets have found playmakers at other positions aside from just point guard (thank God). Early on, White (who looked lost and uncomfortable against the size he saw at the power forward spot) and Parsons took advantage of opportunities to set up others. You can detect White’s passing ability and know-how, and Parsons looks a lot better than I saw last year. He’s much, much more comfortable on the perimeter and seems to relish having the ball in his hands, which is a good sign for someone who’s as skilled as he is. Parsons had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. White had two assists to go with six points and three rebounds. With Parsons and White on the floor at the same time, we saw the ball in their hands often, making plays and initiating the offense, allowing a shoot-first point like Fortson to spot up and look for his shot. Parsons’ length and range, and White’s size and bulk both pose difficult matchups for opponents at the forward spots who don’t like to stray far from the rim and defend off the dribble. In all,13 of the Rockets’ 21 team assists came via the bigs.
Again: It was only one game. I can’t stress that enough. However, before we read about all these guys who may or may not be involved in a Rockets deal for Dwight Howard, it was crucial that we see at least what the young kiddos had in the stable. Put it this way: White looked the worst of the Rockets’ youngsters, and he’s been the most heralded by coaches and scouts so far. That’s the depth of talent we’re looking at. If I’m Daryl Morey (and fortunately I’m not), I think twice about getting Howard in tow for all these young players and assets I’ve worked so hard and mortgaged the last three seasons for.
Morey has a tough decision to make, and, for better or worse, he’s responsible for the bed he finds himself in.
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