Rockets vs. Grizzlies Pre-Game 10/21/22

Rockets Welcome Morant, Grizzlies in Home Opener

Turning the Page.    Ja-lloween.    Beastly Weekend.

The Rockets return home for the first game of the season at the friendly confines of Toyota Center. Halloween comes early this year for the Rockets as they have a tough test for their first home tilt of the season, a matchup with Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies, one of the NBA’s best teams last season. Houston looks to take care of the ball more efficiently, and (somehow) contain the unstoppable Ja Morant. It’ll be interesting to see if Bruno Fernando once again draws the start over Alperen Sengun at Center. After his performance on Wednesday, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get the starting nod in tonight’s home opener. Jae’Sean Tate and Tyty Washington remain out with injuries for the Rockets. Daishen Nix is questionable. It will be a breath of fresh air when the squad can get Tate back on the court, as his energy and hustle is contagious to his teammates.

Besides Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. is coming into his own as a solid power forward in this league. His energy needs to be contained if the Rockets want any chance of pulling off the upset tonight. Look out for rookie Santi Aldama, the 30th pick in this past summer’s draft. After the preseason and only one game, Aldama could sneakily have an efficient game tonight if Houston doesn’t tighten up their interior defense. Stephen Adams will be manning the middle for Memphis. The grizzled veteran has been one of the league’s best role players for years, and expect his dominant presence to be one of the biggest problems facing the Rockets tonight besides Ja Morant, who many expect to be the league’s MVP this season. He has a legitimate shot. After starting the season against All-Stars Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, Houston’s faces superstar Ja Morant, one of the toughest defensive assignments in basketball. The Rockets will be tested tonight for sure. Hopefully returning home will give the squad a renewed sense of energy as they search for their first win of the season, and try and upset the Grizzlies.

Tonight is the first of a back-to-back for the Rockets, as they’ll travel to Milwaukee to battle the Greek Freak and the Bucks tomorrow night. A beastly weekend is in store for this young Houston squad. It’s still early in the season, the time of the year when contenders can be caught off guard. The Rockets have a great chance to steal one of these games, but it won’t be easy. Houston has a tough start to the season, as 7 of their next 10 games are against playoff teams from last year. It’s time to get loud Houston! The Astros have a travel day, so there’s no baseball tonight. Come out and support this young, exciting Rockets team. A group with a bright future ahead of them… just maybe not this weekend.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Memphis Grizzlies (1-0):  Blue

Houston Rockets (0-1):  Red

 

Tip-Off:  7:00 PM CT

 

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA League Pass

Rockets vs. Hawks Post-Game 10/19/22

Badlanta:  Rockets Fall to Hawks, 117-107, in Season Debut

Home-Cookin’ Premiere.    Breaking out Bruno.    Same Achilles’ Heal.

It was the same old story as last season. Turnovers eventually caused Houston’s demise in Atlanta, as the Rockets dropped their opener, 117-107, to the Hawks. Atlanta’s new All-Star backcourt featuring Trae Young and Dejounte Murray combined for 43 points, and kept Houston at bay. Jabari Smith Jr. had a promising start in his NBA debut. Smith Jr., who’s from the Atlanta area, scored 17 points, and displayed his ability to knock down the long-ball with some impressive threes. He also had a tough defensive assignment in his first game: John Collins, who led the Hawks in scoring with 24 points. Despite only scoring 16 points, Jalen Green looks poised for a breakout season. After one game Green already looks like an improved player compared to his inaugural season. His quickness, strength, and decision-making have already made huge strides compared to his rookie year.

In a surprising move, Coach Stephen Silas decided to start Bruno Fernando at center, instead of the highly-touted Alperen Sengun. Both big men played well, with Fernando dishing out 7 assists and swatting 2 shots. Sengun finished with 15 points and 9 boards in 22 minutes. It will be interesting to see how this experiment unravels. Will Fernando keep the starting spot? Or will Sengun eventually take command. Sengun’s effective regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench. It’s a tough call for Silas, but a good tough decision to have on his hands.

Speaking of hands, the best player for Houston all night was Kevin Porter Jr. The Rockets’ point guard looked poised and under control, leading the team with 21 points. KPJ also contributed 7 boards, 7 assists, and 2 steals. If Scoot can continue to play with a steadiness that keeps Houston from sporadically losing control, the Rockets will be contentious in most games this season.

However, the same weakness that burned Houston last season showed up once again to start this new campaign: the dreaded turnover, aka Houston’s Achilles’ Heal. The Rockets had 15 turnovers, which almost all resulted in transition points for the Hawks. Despite trailing by 14 points at one points, Houston only faced a 4-point deficit heading into the final quarter. But the vital turnovers closed the door on the Rockets’ chances in Atlanta. Houston desperately needs to clean up these sloppy turnovers. The majority of the turnovers weren’t forced by the Hawks, they were just careless plays by the Rockets. Houston wants to play fast, but if they continue to turn the ball over at a high rate, it will be tough to win games. The Hawks scored 18 more points than the Rockets in transition. Up next, the squad travels back to Houston for their home opener, as they host the tough Memphis Grizzlies. Where they’ll aim to change the same old story on Friday night.

Rockets vs. Hawks Pre-Game 10/19/22

Rockets Open Season in Atlanta, Battle New-Look Hawks

Atlanta Allocution.    Dangerous Duo.    Fresher Start.

It’s finally here! Another season of hope, promise, ups, downs, action, and hopefully for the opposing teams: allocution. After roughly 6 months, the Houston Rockets are back in action. Opening Night is always an exciting time for all teams, as opportunities, fresh hope, and the potential for success are abound. The Rockets still have one of the youngest teams in the NBA, and they’ll be tested tonight against a more talented and experienced Atlanta Hawks squad. Atlanta is coming off a somewhat disappointing season, after advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals two years ago. The Hawks lost in the first round of the playoffs last year as the 8th seed, and Atlanta made some offseason moves for preventable maintenance in the future, acquiring All-Star Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs. He’s also known as Trae Young’s new, very dangerous partner in crime. Major intrigue awaits witnessing how the Hawks two ball-dominant stars will play together. Houston’s in trouble tonight for several reasons tonight. It’s the Hawks home opener. Atlanta and State Farm Arena will be rocking tonight. And Trae Young is poised to get his Hawks rolling after a disappointing finish last season.

Houston will be without their energizer bunny, Jae’Sean Tate, who suffered an ankle sprain in the preseason. The rest of the squad will have opportunities about to continue and show what they’re capable of on the court. Expect Jalen Green’s explosive season to begin tonight. But he can’t do it by himself. Hopefully Kevin Porter Jr. stays under control, as he will likely be hounded by Dejounte Murray, who is an excellent defender. Alperen Sengun will get a chance to show-off his skillset against former Rocket center Clint Capela, who will be manning the paint for Atlanta. Be on the lookout for Tari Eason to make an immediate impact on the court, regardless of his playing time.

Tonight is a chance for the Rockets to get off to a fresh start, and maybe shock some fans in Atlanta with an upset. Every time has offseason rust to shake off early in the season. With Tate out of the lineup, rookies Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason should receive more chances to show their potential, and why Houston selected them in the draft. The Hawks will be without Bogdan Bogdonavic tonight, who has a knee injury. With this being Game 1 of 82 regular season matchups throughout the league, the Rockets have a better chance to steal a win tonight, as opposed to midseason when Atlanta could potentially be in a groove. It’s a fresh start for everyone on Opening Night. Houston has a great chance to steal the show in the ATL tonight… get ready for the first stop on The Jalen Green Tour. The Rockets’ sophomore stud is back in action. After being slept on last season due to his slow start, Houston’s star is prepped to wake his adversaries from their comfort. Green’s ready to show the Hawks and send the league… a proper allocution in Atlanta.

 

State Farm Arena:  Atlanta Georgia

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (0-0):  Black

Atlanta Hawks (0-0):  Red

 

Tip-Off:  6:30 PM CT

 

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA League Pass

Hustle: Houston Rockets 2022/2023 Season Preview

Hustle:  Houston Rockets 2022/2023 Season Preview

Raising the Glass.    Secret Weapons.    Fusing the Ignition.

Hustle. A word every person is familiar with, regardless of their profession. Whether it’s working three jobs to make ends meet, or spending endless hours evolving good into greatness, we can all relate to the art of the hustle. In basketball, hustle is the ultimate X factor. A variable every player possesses, yet only few choose to truly test the end of the spectrum. Take Patrick Beverly, P.J. Tucker and current Rocket players Jae’Sean Tate and Tari Eason, who hustle harder than the average NBA professional. And as we enter Year Three of the Stephen Silas era, Houston will need to hustle more than ever this season for their Head Coach. It’s no secret that head coaching positions in professional sports can be like a game of musical chairs. And the noise has never been hotter on Silas’ seat, despite having only two seasons of head-coaching experience under his belt. However, if Silas can instill a little Bob Knight into his personality, he doesn’t need to start tossing chairs, he needs to be more angry. I’m not saying Silas needs to be mad, he’s got one of the best smiles in the NBA, but according to his own players (from a direct source), he’s not hard enough on them in practice, and during games. Hopefully, during some downtime in the offseason, Silas watched Hustle, one of the better films you’ll find on Netflix released this year. In the Adam Sandler-driven vehicle, Sandler’s character makes a statement that should be the Rockets’ mantra this season: “Obsession is going to beat talent every time.” Now, obviously this won’t be the case every night. But if Houston hustles harder than their opponent, they can improve on their ghastly 20-win season, the worst record in the entire league last year. If improvements aren’t made, Silas will officially be on the hot seat, putting his job in jeopardy.

Lucky for the Rockets, they have a plethora of secret weapons that are primed to be unleashed, and wreak havoc on opponents this season. Let’s start at this past summer’s NBA Draft. Houston selected Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr. with the third overall pick in the draft. In my opinion, Duke’s Paolo Banchero, who was selected first, would have been the safer bet, but Smith has the higher ceiling, with the potential to be a true superstar in this league. And he has a chip on his shoulder after surprisingly falling to third place in a draft many expected him to be at the top. The second pick, already-injury prone Chet Holmgren, is out for the season after suffering an injury in the pre-season. Holmgren made brief contact with superstar talent for the first time in his life: LeBron James slightly bumped the lanky Holmgren, who’s body unfortunately couldn’t sustain the bump from one of the NBA’s all time greats. So, the Rockets made the right pick with the available players. It will be interesting to see how quickly Smith Jr. adjusts to the NBA’s style of play, and if he will be a late bloomer, like Jalen Green’s hot finish last season, or impact the squad immediately. Speaking of Green. The rest of the NBA is about to be put on notice. I know the preseason are only exhibition games, and don’t really mean anything in the sense of records or trying to make the playoffs, but Green’s shown he’s ready to make a statement in his sophomore season. Combine his hot finish last season with a spectacular preseason, and Green is poised for a breakout-season. Houston likely won’t win enough games for him to be named an All-Star, but Green has a legitimate chance to be the NBA’s Most Improved Player this year. Green’s already displayed a phenomenal improvement in ball handling, specifically his ability to stop-and-go, and pull up for a wide-open shot any time he please. Green’s always been a talented ball handler, but now he looks in compete control, like a basketball wizard. There’s only one real threat to the Most-Improved Player award: his own teammate, Aleperen Sengun. The Turkish phenom is coming off a rookie season where he excelled in limited playing time. Sengun turned 20 less than 4 months ago, and is line for an increased amount of floor action this season after the Rockets traded away Christian Wood to the Dallas Mavericks in the offseason. While Sengun may not start to begin the season, he’s cemented himself as Houston’s center of the future, barring any injuries or unforeseeable unwanted circumstances. Look for Sengun to put opposing centers in the spin-cycle with his Dream Shake-like moves in the post. If you’re matching top against Sengun this season, get ready to be spend some time in Sengun Solitary, as the Turkish stud excels at leaving opponents alone and in awe after one of his spectacular interior moves. Expect Kevin Porter Jr. to continue to improve as the team’s floor general in his second full season with Rockets. The most hidden secret on the entire roster could be Tari Eason, who has the potential to be the steal of the draft. Eason is a hustler. If you watched him play at all in the preseason, he’s got a P.J. Tucker-like mentality: he’s going to dive for loose balls, do the dirty work, does what it takes to win: hustle. Silas has a tough task on his hand in trying to fuse all these elements together and ignite a Houston squad that is packed with young talent on the roster. Silas will have some tough choices regarding rotations, distributing playing time, managing different personalities, and implanting new arrivals to the roster. If he can manage to make everyone play, and hustle, for each other, the Rockets have a chance to sizably improve over their torrid record last year. The squad needs the right coach to empower these players to seize the most out of their potential. Houston will find out if the third time’s the charm for Head Coach Stephen Silas this year. If the Rockets fail to win at least 26 games, this could be his last season. I think he deserves at least one more shot as the Head Coach after this campaign. After winning only three more games last season over the previous one, Silas needs to hustle, and start being more assertive as the squad’s Head Coach.

So, let’s raise a glass to another season of Houston Rockets, and NBA basketball. Another year of buzzer beaters, breakout performances, iconic plays, legendary moments, Steph Curry’s hanging mouthguard, and, still, yes, the only man who Father Time can’t seem to beat: LeBron James, who’s still playing like the best player in the world as he approaches age 38, entering his 20th season in this punishingly physical league. The NBA’s not as physical as the NFL, but in my opinion, the NBA is home to best athletes in the world. Expect another wild season of memorable games and hopefully the Rockets can start to show elevated improvement this year. Houston’s slowly improved over the last two seasons, basically trying to recover from the James Harden-fallout. It’s time to display real hustle and an improved show for the fans this season. It’s always an exciting time when your squad has a young, talented nucleus (especially with a Top-3 Draft Pick) yet to play his first official NBA game. This season they have the potential to evolve from the league’s bottom feeders, into a squad with the potential to make noise in the playoffs in a couple seasons. Houston’s closer to postseason action than the pundits realize. The time is now for the Rockets. A time more than ever to be dedicated, engrossed, consumed, and even obsessed… let the hustle begin.