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While that doesn’t count for much, the Houston Rockets officially returned to action last night in their 125-119 victory at Toyota Center over the Washington Wizards, while showing that whether they win or lose, fun times are coming.
Every stop over this past offseason has been an indicator that it was a new day in Houston and Tuesday night’s battle against the Wizards played out accordingly. Instead of the usual actions of looking for good looking opponents who might end up fighting the Rockets in the playoffs, there was increased excitement for a preseason game.
The days are long to look down, but rather, a burning desire from Red Nation to consume the present and have a good look at how emerging talents like Kevin Porter Jr and Christian Wood have developed or how rookies like Jalen Green, Alperen Sensun and Josh Christopher are going to perform.
There’s also the ever-growing list of questions that start to boil over as the season opener draws closer and while most cannot be answered until the start of the season, the conversation about starting lineup gets closer and closer. was greeted with words from Stephen Silas who told reporters ahead of the game that the lineup would include the expected faces of Porter, Green and Wood, but would also include veteran Eric Gordon and newcomer Daniel Theis.
For the rest of the diehards, the best way to fill the void is through observation and speculation … but you already knew that.
The biggest takeaways
With Porter taking on the playmaker role, which is where he seems most comfortable, this will leave a ton of room for Green to operate on offense with the freedom to just go put the ball in the box. hoop; so despite scoring 4-14, 0-6 from a 3-point field last night, securing such opportunities at his ripe 19-year-old will only accelerate his potential rise to stardom.
Green is a guy who we know is going to at least get a bucket. It’s not a project that you have to slowly and carefully turn into a star, but more of a guy who just has to go out and do what he’s known for.
Speaking of KPJ, it turns out he’s still on top repugnant when the ball is in his hands. Who saw this coming? (yes, that’s sarcasm).
Porter made his way to 25 points on 9-16 shots, which saw him pierce his gazes 5-10 from beyond the arc to go along with 5 assists, 4 rebounds but also 4 turnovers.
The offensive display that got him 56% on the pitch was racked up in 29 minutes of action, which is a barrier that certainly won’t be in place when the real stuff begins.
Like Porter’s Minutes, we probably won’t see so little productivity when the season begins with guys like Wood and Gordon who were both more so sweet, which is anything but an apt description for Christopher and the Night.
While the Arizona State rookie hasn’t played much – which will change the next game, or at least should – he was a revelation nonetheless, perhaps the biggest of the group. Christopher scored 11 points while going 4-5 on the court and was perfect at long distance with 3-3. Most of the praise he received was the result of his defensive effort, which is the fastest way to gain minutes in a team looking for his intensity.
His biggest flaw was that he had returned the ball 3 times, which was a concern throughout the draft process, but his pair of assists and rebounds along with a steal should help balance things out in a favorable direction for him.
What will Jae-Sean Tate’s role be?
It was clear some time ago that the Rockets weren’t going to fight their way through a rebuild this year, they want to win games and avoid tormenting the franchise with actions that develop a culture of defeat.
Following that, Gordon got the go-ahead on Jae-Sean Tate who was a member of the rookie squad a year ago. Does coming off the bench in a scoring team mean Tate will be a glue guy?
Tate is a guy whose play can quickly turn into a victory. It’s gritty at both ends of the ground but usually isn’t going to fill the scoring part of the box and because of that it might be better suited as a spark plug that goes in, does whatever it takes and potentially closes games depending on the type of evening he spends.
If Houston develops the way the Rockets fans hope, Tate could become a staple of the franchise in the same way that current Chicago Bull Alex Caruso raised the floor when he helped win a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Closing thoughts
Okay, that’s right, the preseason really doesn’t matter that much, but don’t let that take your excitement into account.
Once the season officially begins, that victory over the Washington Wizards will be remembered in the past, but the fact that they were able to achieve this victory while having each of their main players healthy and seeing minutes is a big deal. . This isn’t the NFL where a lot of the guys playing in the second half of preseason games will probably never see the pitch, these are players you’ll see all season whether it’s on the Rockets or with their G- League affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers – except exchange or release.
So yeah, you probably shouldn’t brag to those around you that Houston is 1-0, but you should definitely smile because Rockets basketball is back, and with it it’s a new era. .
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