Oladipo still trying to fit in with new club
As much as Victor Oladipo knew he would have to adjust to changes, the four weeks since his first game with the Rockets have demonstrated how difficult that could be, especially with the Rockets’ ever-changing lineups and his own varied roles.
Oladipo has had some strong performances, beginning with his first game against the Bulls. He was a key to the comeback wins against the Trail Blazers and Pelicans. But his shooting has slumped since.
“It’s really different,” Oladipo said. “Being traded in the middle of the year is different. It’s an adjustment. It’s nothing I can’t handle. I just have to go out there and have the same approach, same mindset every night, just go out there and have fun, play as hard as I can on both ends of the floor. Everything else will take care of itself.
“Everything’s different. The circumstance of this team, it’ll be different pretty much all year. I got to constantly adjust.”
In addition to the normal challenges of changing teams during the season, this season comes with a compressed schedule that leaves little practice time. With the Rockets’ lineup changing often because of injuries and other absences, potential factors in his misfiring on his shots in the past few weeks. With Eric Gordon and John Wall held out of Monday’s game, Oladipo played primarily as a point guard.
“There’s nights he’ll be a primary ballhandler,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “He’ll have to get others involved and initiate plays. There’s nights he’s playing with John and he’s the recipient of actions and he’s the finisher of plays. It’s really hard to come into a new system and be thrust into either the role of initiator, point guard, distributor or two guard coming off screens or being a secondary option off actions.”
In nine games with the Rockets prior to Monday’s loss to Charlotte, Oladipo had made 38.7 percent of his shots, 29.7 percent of his 3s.
He had been making 36.2 percent of his 3-pointers this season with the Pacers before the trade, potentially indicating that his issues shooting from beyond the 3-point line with the Rockets are no more than a temporary downturn as can happen through the course of the season or part of the adjustment to a different team and system.
“Adjusting to being at the point, not being at the point, certain guys out, certain guys in, the places where my spots are going to be,” Oladipo said. “At the end of the day, I have to have the same mentality. That’s what I’m going to do, just keep playing hard every night.”
In the three games he played prior to Monday’s, Oladipo averaged 14.3 points, attempting just an average of 1.3 free throws after averaging 22 points and 4.3 free throws in his first six games with the Rockets.
Wall, Gordon held out for rest purposes
The Rockets held out John Wall and Eric Gordon from Monday’s game in Charlotte with Victor Oladipo scheduled to sit out Tuesday’s game in New Orleans as they continue to limit the workload of their guards in backto-backs, a juggling act that has made it difficult to have enough playmakers on the floor.
They intend, however, to continue with that plan indefinitely.
“It’s something we’ve talked about the last three weeks or so, four weeks maybe,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “We had a big meeting. We reevaluate it every week or so, try to figure out which are the better games. It’s hard to figure out … what is the criteria for which is the better game for a guy to sit out or not. With John and Vic being primary ballhandlers, that makes it a little harder. Now, you add Eric to the mix, it makes it really hard.”
The Rockets have two more back-to-backs in the first half schedule, against the Mavericks and Pacers on Feb. 19 and 20 and against the Grizzlies and Cavaliers on Feb. 28 and March 1. Both sets of games on consecutive nights are at home.
Silas’ return to roots has ‘different’ feel
Rockets coach Stephen Silas began his coaching career in Charlotte, where he spent 10 seasons on his father Paul Silas’ staffs. But his first game in Charlotte as Rockets coach felt far different than he would have guessed or hoped with no fans, not even his parents, in the arena, and NBA health and safety protocols prohibiting him from even visiting friends and family.
“It feels different,” Silas said. “It doesn’t feel as good as it would if my parents were sitting in their normal seats because they come to every Hornets game when there are fans in the stands. They sit directly behind the home bench. There’s a lot of friends and family I have here in Charlotte I wish I could see and could share this moment with.
“I look into the rafters and see Bobby Phills’ jersey hanging and it is a reminder of him, because I was here when he was here. (Phills died in an auto accident in 2000, Silas’ first year as a Hornets assistant.) Also his family; Kendall, his wife, Brittany, Trey, Kerstie, his kids, who I wish I could see on this trip, but I can’t. I don’t want it to sound like … I’m in this horrible position. I’m in a great position. It just would be cool if there were fans in the stands and my parents were here.”
Though Silas will be back next season coaching against the Hornets, he was confident his parents, Paul and Carolyn, will be in their usual seats behind the home team’s bench.
“This is my third year since I’ve been gone, and they’ve kept the same seats,” Silas said. “My dad liked to be in the huddle. It’s about as close as it can get to the huddle. He still has that itch. And the staff, J.B. (Hornets coach) James Borrego, and the other assistant coaches, (assistant general manager) Buzz Peterson and (Hornets president and general manager) Mitch Kupchak, they’ve all been great to him. He walks around here like he’s the man, like he should.”