TDS was out at the Rockets preseason opener, and here were three things that stood out.
Phase two of the Houston Rockets rebuild kicked off last night, as the Rockets took on the Indiana Pacers in game one of the preseason. The Rockets, of course, brought in several new players, including Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. They also have a brand new coaching staff led by Ime Udoka as they look to turn the page on the worst three-season stretch in the franchise history.
The Rockets started the game with what will likely be the starting lineup in game one of the regular season. Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith, Alperen Sengun. The Pacers sat most of their starters as they went with their backups in the starting lineup. Here are three things that stood out to me during the Rockets win.
Dillon Brooks’ reputation followed him to Houston
In one of the fastest ejections for a player making his debut on a new team, Brooks was ejected midway through the first quarter after fighting through a screen and making contact below the belt. It was, at the very least, a questionable call as it seemed to be accidental contact, but with Brooks’ reputation, the referees upgraded to a flagrant two and ejected Brooks from the game.
Brooks spoke to the media after the game and said this about the ejection.
“It’s weird that I get picked on every time it happens to me.” He was also asked if he was being targeted.” “What’s the name, what’s my name? My name is Dillon the villain.”
Brooks also spoke about how referees view him, which had something to do with his ejection. Brooks’ reputation has seemed to travel from the Grizzlies and now to the Rockets, so it will be one of the storylines as we get into the regular season.
Amen Thompson will put constant pressure on the defense
Thompson made his first appearance at the 5:34 mark of the first quarter and instantly showed off his speed advantage as he took to the basket early and often. Watching it in person, you can see how easily he gets past defenders and gets to the cup.
Even though Thompson struggled from the field, finishing 1-for-9 in his debut, he consistently went to the hole, as he finished 5-for-6 from the free throw line, constantly got in the paint and looked for his teammates as he finished with three assists. Thompson struggles at times from the field, as most young players start slowly when it comes to efficiency.
The fact that Thompson was aggressive and got to the foul line six times bodes well for the upcoming season because he has shown that he won’t have to rely on his jumper to score points.
The Rockets defense seems to be headed in the right direction
Let’s start with this caveat. Yes, the Pacers were sitting all of their starters, and yes, it’s just preseason, but the defense seemed a lot more focused and connected in the win. The Rockets held the Pacers to 40.7 percent from the field and only 23.8 percent from three-point range. The Rockets mixed up their coverages on defense. At times, they switch every action, and at other times, fighting over screens and sticking with their man. Remember that their best defensive player, Dillon Brooks, was ejected five minutes into the game, so we didn’t see the projected starters for the Rockets either. Coach Udoka spoke about the defensive effort after the game.
“We got better but Indiana is a team that slips a lot and that gave us some problem with our switches so they were slipping out getting some separation something we have to clean up.”
As you see, even with the better defensive effort, the Rockets are still a work in progress and will need the rest of the preseason to continue to work on some of the things Coach Udoka brought up during the post-game press conference. The Rockets, however, seem to be on the right path.
All in all, it was a good game for the Rockets. Again, it is just preseason, but overall, the Rockets didn’t make many mistakes and played together as a team, with everyone contributing while on the court. The Rockets next play on Thursday as they travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans.
Remember to subscribe and check out the full post-game interviews all year long on Rocket Fuel YouTube page..