Gordon could make impact.
Rockets guard Eric Gordon finished the preseason as the top-rated offensive player in the NBA.
The Rockets scored 123.3 points per 100 possessions with Gordon on the floor. That led any player averaging at least 10 minutes and playing in half his team’s games. The Rockets believe it will be a sign of things to come as Gordon takes on a role even greater than they expected when he was one of their most important offseason additions.
“Eric is good. I mean, Eric is really good,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “If we can keep him healthy, and he’s doing everything he can to do that, he’s going to have a great year.”
Gordon, averaging 12.5 points in 20.5 minutes in the preseason, made 44.6 percent of his shots and 39.4 percent of his 3s. With Pat Beverley out, he will start and also be counted on to be on the floor any time James Harden is out, leading to extended minutes and he hopes, a career year.
“I definitely want to,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of good years, scored a lot of points, done this, done that. I definitely want to get back to that for sure. It could be a good year for me.
“The offense has given me instant ability to knock down shots, hit wide-open shots, and also get in the paint and make layups. It’s going to be free-flowing for me. I’m definitely going to play a lot more minutes, more than I have been in the preseason. I’m going to try to have a really good year.
Expect Ennis to play key role
With the changes in the backcourt, coach Mike D’Antoni said guard Tyler Ennis will likely get playing time to start the season.
Starting guard Pat Beverley is out after Tuesday’s arthroscopic knee surgery. The Rockets on Monday waived Pablo Prigioni, who had been their first point guard off the bench in the preseason.
“I don’t think Eric (Gordon, the starter with Beverley out) is ready to be a full-time point guard, although he might,” D’Antoni said. “We’ll look and see. Tyler will get the nod at first and see where we’ll go with that. Give him a few minutes. Bobby (Brown) is ready to roll if we need that. That’s our short-term plan.”
As expected, D’Antoni said Clint Capela would start at center, splitting time with Nene.
Life after Kobe officially begins
The Rockets’ season opener in Los Angeles will make them the first opponent in the Lakers’ post-Kobe Bryant era, a change that the Rockets said seems as strange for them as it must be for the Lakers.
“Watching and idolizing, for it to be the first game for him not to come out with that (No.) 8 or that 24, I know it’s going to be crazy,” guard James Harden said.
The Rockets believe the rebuilding Lakers will offer a strong test, citing their youth and pace of play. The Rockets were fourth in the NBA in pace in the preseason, the Lakers fifth.
“They have a lot of young, really, really good talent over there,” Harden said. “We’re focused on how we can get better, no matter who we’re playing. They’re going to play fast. They have a lot of young, athletic guys. They have a lot of guys who can score the basketball. What will help us out is taking really good shots so we’re able to get back in transition and they have to play against our halfcourt sets defensively every game.”
More attention to fixing miscues
The Rockets were the NBA’s top-scoring team in the preseason, but veteran forward Trevor Ariza was more impressed with their attitude about that.
They went 5-2 in the preseason and one of the losses was in double overtime and the other was with four starters sitting out.
But Ariza said he was pleased that they were not content with the good signs, as he said they were last season.
“Even though we score a lot of points, we’re not satisfied,” Ariza said. “We still want to do the little things the right way. That’s a big difference from last year. Last year, we would be happy if we won a game and made a lot of mistakes.
“This year, of course we want to win games, but we know the mistakes we make throughout the game if we don’t correct them in the long run, could come back and bite us. We’re paying attention to that more.”