Barry The Glue to Rockets Backcourt

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The Houston Rockets have a nice array of talent in the backcourt, although nobody besides Tracy McGrady strikes fear into the hearts of opposing teams, coaches and fans. Besides the projected starters in point guard Rafer Alston – who was the key ingredient to the Rockets’ 22-game win streak last year – and T-Mac, the Rockets solidified their perimeter shooting by adding slick passer and lethal sharpshooter Brent Barry, one of the most underrated off-season signings in the league.

Point guard-of-the-future Aaron Brooks had a breakout preseason by posting a team-high 14.4 points per game and dishing out 4.1 assists while shooting 45.8 percent from the field in seven preseason games. Although undersized at 6-0 and 160 pounds, Brooks has outstanding quickness and finds his way to the basket. He has continued to develop a decent jump shot, and now as the primary backup behind Alston, he will need to mature quickly, which will help his confidence.

Also returning is the ever-steady Luther Head, a combo guard who enters his fourth season in Houston with career averages of 9.2 points and 2.4 assists per game in just over 25 minutes a contest. Head had a strong preseason shooting the ball, making an astounding 61.9 percent of his shots and shooting 60 percent from beyond the arc.

Fourth-year man Von Wafer rounds out the guards, assuming Steve Francis doesn’t make a full recovery. Wafer has bounced around the league playing a sparse amount of games, but his upside is his good athleticism and jump shot. However, his attitude still remains a concern, which might explain why this is already his fifth team.

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