This article is part of our NBA Team Previews series.
STATE OF THE FRANCHISE
The Houston Rockets came into the offseason planning to make a huge splash in free agency and were set on creating their own "big three". Their top priority was landing Carmelo Anthony, but in the end, the Rockets just couldn't close the deal, as Anthony decided to return to New York. They also lost out on an attempt to sign Chris Bosh. To make things worse, during their pursuit of other free agents, they ended up losing Chandler Parsons to in-state foe, the Dallas Mavericks. In an attempt to make up for the loss of Parsons, the Rockets made their biggest acquisition of the offseason, signing Trevor Ariza to a four-year deal. Although Ariza doesn't have the versatility of Parsons, he'll be a serviceable replacement and give the Rockets another option to open up the court. Other than picking up Jason Terry to backup both guard spots, there wasn't much noise elsewhere this offseason in Houston. Missing on key free agents and losing a starter is tough, but it's not all bad for this team. They're coming off a playoff campaign that showed a lot of potential. Although they exited after the first round for the second straight season, the Rockets still demonstrated they can compete in a tough Western Conference. If they can get some growth out of third-year pro Terrence Jones, and if Trevor Ariza is able to near Parsons numbers from a season ago, the Rockets will be in good shape to get a decent seed into the 2014-15 NBA playoffs. Although it seems this team will go only as far as James Harden and Dwight Howard can carry them, if some of the young guys can step up, there's a lot of potential on the team that could brekout and help the team surprise people.
PLAYING TIME DISTRIBUTION
At the point guard position, there should be a heavy amount of minutes going to Patrick Beverley. Behind him, it gets a little more cloudy. The majority of the backup minutes will go to either Isaiah Canaan, Jason Terry, or Ish Smith, but at the moment, Canaan looks like the one with the most potential. James Harden should see minutes in the high thirties again at shooting guard, leaving a few minutes for both Troy Daniels and Jason Terry behind him. At the three, Trevor Ariza will take over what Chandler Parsons ran last season, probably right around the 33-37 minute range. After re-signing with the Rockets this offseason, it looks like Francisco Garcia will take the bulk of the backup time at small forward unless one of the younger players can establish themselves as a better option. At power forward, Terrence Jones will be relied upon for around 30 minutes as well. Donatas Motiejunas will take up any time that Jones isn't in the game, with the possibility of Jeff Adrien and rookie Clint Capela getting a taste of action if there's foul trouble. Finally, at the center position, All-Star Dwight Howard, like Harden, will play minutes in the high thirties, as the departure of Omer Asik will force the Rockets to rely on Howard even more. Motiejunas will probably have to play some center as well to backup Howard, with Joey Dorsy playing behind those two. There seems to be potential for all five starters to reach the 30-minute plateau this year, with Jones being the most questionable of the five.
PLAYER OUTLOOKS
Centers
Dwight Howard: While he averaged the lowest minutes per game (34) since his rookie season, Howard was still able to put up more than respectable numbers and finished last season averaging 18.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game. In his 10 year career, Howard has been able to average a double-double in points and rebounds every single season, so it should be a safe bet he can repeat that this upcoming year. His rebound average of 12.2 per game placed him as the fourth best in the league on the boards last season, only behind the likes of DeAndre Jordan, Andre Drummond, and Kevin Love. He also remained one of the premiere defenders with his 1.8 blocks per game, which was good enough for seventh in the league. With the trade of Omer Asik to the Pelicans, Dwight will probably be even more heavily relied upon, and his minutes will most likely increase. The added minutes and further familiarity of playing with fellow superstar James Harden, should lead to Howard having an outstanding chance to improve his numbers from the 2013-14 season and provide the Rockets with one of the best centers in the league.
Forwards
Trevor Ariza: After losing Chandler Parsons to the Dallas Mavericks, and missing out on a bunch of other key free agents, the Rockets found it essential to lock up Trevor Ariza to be their starter at the small forward position. Ariza is coming off a career year with the Wizards where he put up his highest scoring average since the 2009-10 season at 14.4 points per game, and posted a career best in rebounds with 6.2 per game. Ariza also ended the season averaging 2.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.3 three-pointers made, while playing in 35 minutes per game. His shooting will be used to open up the lane for both James Harden and Dwight Howard, and he'll look to try and duplicate his stellar shooting percentages last season of 46 percent from the field and a career best 41 percent from behind the arc. While it may be hard to believe that Ariza will duplicate his scoring averages and percentages, he is joining a team where opponents' defensive focus will be placed squarely on Harden and Howard, which should allow Ariza some space to get off a bunch of shots. Look for him to get plenty of minutes, as he's coming off one of the healthiest years he's had in his 10-year career.
Terrence Jones: After a rookie season spent predominantly in the D-League or firmly planted to the end of the Rockets bench, Jones came back in his second year and claimed a spot in the rotation, starting 71 of the 76 games he played in. He nearly doubled his minutes per game from 14 to 27, which helped him improve on his numbers across the board. Jones finished the 2013-14 season averaging 12.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks, all of which were an increase on his rookie season numbers of 5.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.0 block per game. Jones boasted impressive shooting percentages for a big man, as he shot 54 percent from the field and 31 percent from the three-point line. His 54 percent from the field was good enough to land him in the top 20 for forwards last season. Jones should continue to improve on his game, considering he's only going into the third season of his career, so look for him to get a heavy dose of minutes during the upcoming season. If he's able to take the next step, Jones will have a great shot at becoming a long-term option for the Rockets at power forward, and a player they'll rely on for his superior athletic ability on defense, and his improving offensive output.
Donatas Motiejunas: In the second season of his career, Motiejunas stayed pretty consistent with the numbers he posted in his rookie season. With a slight increase in minutes per game from 12 to 15, Motiejunas ended up averaging 5.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks. He also stayed consistent with his field goal percentage, finishing the season at 44 percent and shot fairly decent for a big man outside the three-point arc with a 25-percent three-point percentage. Motiejunas will probably be used at both the center and power forward position this season, and he'll be relied upon to keep Dwight Howard fresh throughout the season. With the departure of Omer Asik, Motiejunas is in for a highly extended role from his two previous seasons, and he'll have a huge increase in his minutes per game. With a heavy increase in minutes, it's almost assured Motiejunas will increase his point, rebound, assist, and block numbers from last season and get consistent playing time as a key reserve. Going into his third season, the Rockets will need him to be much improved in order to have the depth to make a deep playoff run this season.
Clint Capela: At 6-11, 211 pounds, Capela, the Rockets' first-round pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, is an extremely athletic big man who can run the floor and who also has a chance of becoming a defensive force with elite shot blocking potential. Capela is a native of Switzerland and has been playing in France for the past three years with Elan Chalon of the LNB Pro A League. After the 2014 season in France, Capela was named the French League Rising Star, along with being recognized as the French League Most Improved Player. Capela has a long road ahead of him if he's trying to get playing time with the Rockets in the next few seasons. He'll probably come in entrenched near the bottom of the power forward depth chart as a developmental project. With the Rockets expected to make another playoff run this season, it's tough to see Capela getting many minutes as a rookie, and he'll have to show an extremely improved game to get a larger share of playing time. It's always questionable how well international players will adapt to the NBA game.
Francisco Garcia: Garcia was re-upped on a one-year contract this offseason after finishing his first full year with the Rockets. A nine-year veteran, Garcia saw his minutes increase slightly from 18 per game in the 2012-13 season, to 20 per game during the 2013-14 season. With the slight increase in playing time, he also improved on his points and rebounding numbers, going from 5.5 points and 1.6 rebounds per game two seasons ago, to 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game last year. Garcia contributed averages of 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.3 three-pointers made as well. His field goal percentage stayed pretty consistent to his career numbers as he averaged 40 percent from the field, but his three-point percentage took a slight dip, and he finished with a 36-percent clip from behind the three-point line. Garcia may play a little of both small forward and shooting guard, but look for the majority of his minutes to be at the small forward position behind Trevor Ariza. Garcia isn't known for his health, as he hasn't had a season reaching the 60 games played mark in four years, so it's questionable whether or not he'll be able to improve on his 2013-14 season numbers.
Jeff Adrien: Adrien has been all over the country throughout his first four years in the league, playing for Golden State, Houston, Charlotte, and Milwaukee. While he hasn't found a team willing to give him a long-term contract quite yet, Adrien has made steady improvement through every season of his career. His 2013-14 season was split between both Charlotte (25 games) and Milwaukee (28 games), as he was traded to the Bucks mid-season, but the trade definitely paid dividends for Adrien considering he got much more time and experience with his new team. On the Bucks, Adrien got a heavier dose of playing time at 25 minutes per game, where he posted averages of 10.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks. He also contributed with 52-percent shooting from the field. With Adrien returning to Houston, he probably won't get nearly the minutes he received last season, as the Rockets have several quality players in the frontcourt with guys like Trevor Ariza, Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas, etc. Look for Adrien to get put into a reserve role where he'll be counted on to be a hound on the boards, and a solid defensive presence in the lane.
Robert Covington: Covington didn't get a chance to play his way into a role during his rookie season, as he finished playing in only seven games with the Rockets. For the entire 2013-14 year, he finished averaging 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.3 steals, and 0.6 three-pointers made, in five minutes per game. He also seemed to struggle during the summer league schedule this year, where he averaged a meager 7.5 points per game against lesser competition. Covington is going to have a tough time finding minutes this season, as the power forward position is stacked with bodies. Starter Terrence Jones is coming off a solid second season in the league, along with holdover Donatas Motiejunas, and newcomers Jeff Adrien and Joey Dorsey taking up reserve minutes. He'll even have to keep Rockets' first-round draft pick Clint Capela from taking any playing time that may have been left over, so it's going to be a long, uphill battle for Covington this season if he hopes of having any role whatsoever. Covington may end up spending time in the NBA D-League with the Rockets' affiliate in order to get him more experience and more time to improve his game.
Guards
James Harden: During the 2013-14 season, James Harden was able to reward the fantasy owners who drafted him and posted impressive numbers in his second season with the Rockets. He finished the year averaging 25.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.4 three-pointers made, while playing 38 minutes per game. Although the loss of Chandler Parsons in free agency initially felt like it might sting a bit, the Rockets bounced back with the signing of Trevor Ariza, so the starting lineup didn't take as big of a hit as originally thought, and the team will still have a decent shooter to open the lane for Harden to drive to the hoop. Harden also continued his consistent shooting last season by slightly improving his field goal percentage from 44 percent in the 2012-13 season, to 46 percent last season. While his field goal percentage increased, it stayed the same from behind the arc, as he shot 37 percent from deep for the second season in a row. Look for Harden to continue to get plenty of shots up again this season, and post scoring averages in the mid to upper 20's, as most of the roster is pretty similar to last year, and the Rockets will be in the playoff hunt once again. While it seems strange to say, Harden could carry an even larger load on offense this season with Jeremy Lin having been traded to the Lakers this offseason.
Patrick Beverley: Beverley made drastic improvements in his second season in the league and with the Rockets. After stealing the starting point guard position from Jeremy Lin, Beverley saw a heavy increase in minutes from 17 per game during the 2012-13 season, to 31 during the 2013-14 season. With an increase in time on the court, he doubled his points per game averages from 5.6 per game two seasons ago, to 10.2 per game last season. To go along with the 10.2 points per game, Beverley also averaged 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers made. He won't be heavily relied upon for scoring in the upcoming year, with James Harden, Dwight Howard, and Trevor Ariza in the fold, but Beverley will be counted on to provide the same tenacity on defense that he displayed last season, which landed him on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. As long as he can stay healthy, considering he finished last season playing in only 56 games, he should put up similar numbers to last season, and will continue to be relied upon for his defensive game over his offensive output.
Isaiah Canaan: A second-round draft pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Canaan ended up playing in only 22 games for the Rockets in his rookie season. While there wasn't too much playing time available for him, he finished the season averaging 4.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.4 steals, and 0.8 three-pointers made in 11 minutes per game. Canaan was able to show a little bit more of what he brings to the table during the 2014 Las Vegas Summer League, where he demonstrated his scoring ability by averaging 19.1 points during the nine games he participated in. It was great timing for Canaan considering he has a huge opportunity this upcoming season, as he'll have a chance to fix himself into a larger role in the Rockets' rotation. Jeremy Linn was dealt to the Lakers this offseason, which gave Patrick Beverley rights to the starter's job, and puts Canaan in a position to prove himself as Beverley's backup. He won't be handed the backup job, with veteran Jason Terry in the fold, and guys like Ish Smith and fellow summer league standout Nick Johnson playing well, but if he establishes himself as that second point guard, he'll have plenty of minutes to put up improved numbers from last season and make a name for himself.
Troy Daniels: After going undrafted during the 2013 NBA Draft, Daniels spent most of the 2013-14 season playing in the NBA D-League. Near the end of the NBA's regular season, he was signed by the Rockets in an attempt to increase their guard depth for the playoffs, and he ended up making appearances in five games with one start. In the limited action, Daniels showed some promise, as he finished the year averaging 8.4 points, 0.8 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 2.4 three-pointers made in 15 minutes per game. He shot 48 percent from the field and 48 percent from behind the arc. Daniels also received some spot minutes in the first round of the playoffs, which added at least a little more experience to his resume. He should have a reserve role this season behind James Harden at the shooting guard position, but newly acquired Jason Terry may have something to say about the backup position. He'll also have to make sure guys like Francisco Garcia and rookie Nick Johnson don't outperform him and take even more of his playing time. If that occurs, there might be some more time in the NBA D-League waiting for Daniels.
Nick Johnson: Johnson comes to the Rockets as an intriguing prospect out of Arizona, who had a solid NBA summer league experience. He finished the summer league season averaging 13.4 points over the span of 15 games. Johnson demonstrated his ability to do more than just score, when he exploded for a triple-double 15-point, 10-assist, and 10-rebound game, but it's left to be seen what Johnson will be able to do against stiffer competition. Not all too common for a second-round draft pick, Johnson will have the opportunity to carve out an extended role with the Rockets this season. With the departure of Jeremy Lin this offseason to the Lakers, and the anointing of Patrick Beverley as the starting point guard, Johnson will have a chance to gain a roll as a backup point guard. He'll have to continue to impress the coaching staff, but if he's able to out play Isaiah Canaan and the newly acquired Jason Terry, Johnson may get a bunch of playing time. He'll also be a backup to James Harden at the shooting guard position, but again, that's if he can impress the coaching staff come the season's start and show himself as reliable as those ahead of him.
Ish Smith: Smith joins the Rockets this year after playing with the Phoenix Suns during the 2013-14 season. Last season, he got a decent boost in playing time going from 10 minutes per game two seasons ago to 14 minutes per game last season. He also improved his numbers in every other important category, as he averaged 3.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks, which was an increase from his averages of 2.4 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks during the 2012-13 season. Smith also shot well, finishing the season with 42-percent shooting from the field. He's potentially in line for a good amount of playing time, with the backup point guard spot up for grabs. Smith will have some serious competitors with guys like Isaiah Caanan, Nick Johnson, and Jason Terry, but he'll have every opportunity to establish himself as a reserve for the Rockets. Whether he ends up behind Patrick Beverley or not, there's a good chance Smith will improve on his numbers from the last few seasons, and he'll provide the Rockets with depth in the backcourt.
SLEEPER
Trevor Ariza:: After seeing the numbers Chandler Parsons was able to produce the past season, Ariza will have a chance to put up some nice numbers while working with James Harden and Dwight Howard. He was very efficient last year with the Wizards, and with even more focus taken off him due to playing with two superstars, look for Ariza to have a bunch more opportunities for open shots. Although many doubt he can be the scorer Chandler Parsons was, Ariza still has a chance at being very productive and has the ability to improve on his previous season numbers.
BUST
Patrick Beverley: Don't expect a monster season from Beverley. Yes, his minutes are probably going to increase from last year, but at the same time, he just isn't a refined offensive player and doesn't produce enough points or assists to be worth much in fantasy leagues. Beverley has been counted on for a defensive presence in his first few years in the league, and it's probably going to remain that way for the near future.
