1st Quarter Report Grades for Each Member of the Houston Rockets

The school year continues for the Houston Rockets just as it does for every NBA team. Once again it's report card time.

The last time grades were handed out was back in week two. At that point Houston had a record of 3-4.

Since then they have continued to play just under .500 basketball, having gone 6-7, which brings them to 9-11 after 20 games played.

That's good for tenth place in the Western Conference. Let's take a look at the grades. 

Incompletes: Scott Machado, Donatas Montiejunas, and Royce White.

All stats are accurate as of 12/11/12.

Cole Aldrich

Cole Aldrich had to deal with an ankle injury a few weeks ago. He contributes what he can on the boards when he gets into the game.

It would be nice to see him step up and grab some more minutes at center at some point.

Grade: C-

Omer Asik

Omer Asik's work ethic is well-documented. The fact that he's gone from beyond raw offensively to a double-digit scorer in such a short time is very impressive.

The two recent games against the San Antonio Spurs show that he is also a fast learner with the ability to adjust.

In the 114-92 loss as San Antonio on December 7, Asik had a miserable game. He was held scoreless and only hauled on five rebounds.

Most recently against the Spurs on December 10, Omer set a new career-high with 21 points and grabbed his customary 10 rebounds.

Omer is only 26, and will only get better.

Grade: A

Daequan Cook

Daequan Cook has never been known for his defense. The Rockets' defense as a whole leaves a lot to be desired as they allow more points than any team in the league.

That said, Cook's three-point shooting may need to be utilized a little bit more. Houston is going to have to win shootouts, they aren't able to grind out games right now.

For what it's worth, according to basketball-reference.com, Cook is shooting .417 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter.

Grade: C

Carlos Delfino

Carlos Delfino is still supplying the glue that the Houston Rockets need in good times and bad. He continues to stuff the stat sheet and do what needs to be done to help the Rockets win.

He scored 15 in Houston's 107-105 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on December 4.

Conversely, one free-throw was all he put in the scoring column when the Rockets beat the New Orleans Hornets 100-96 on November 14. In both games he still hit the boards and got his assists like he always does.

Jason Friedman of Rockets.com gave Carlos some love the other day. His veteran presence has been and will continue to be extremely valuable.

Grade: B

Toney Douglas

To say that patience with Toney Douglas was running thin after the first few games of the season would be an understatement.

Despite his best intentions and efforts, the desired results just weren't there.

Then the Los Angeles Lakers lost Douglas in the corner late in the fourth quarter of Houston's 107-105 comeback win. He made them pay. The cold blooded dagger gave Houston its first lead of the night at 100-99.

Douglas has overcome his horrid start and is now shooting .417 from downtown. Nice to see him turn things around.

Grade: C

James Harden

No one will ever forget the sizzling start (82 points) James Harden had in the first two games of his Houston Rockets debut. 

There was no way he could sustain it and he cooled off as expected and has even had some rough patches along the way as well as he gets used to being a primary option and all the extra attention from opposing defenses that comes with it.

On a positive note, it looks like he's ready to bounce back from his ankle injury. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweeted.

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Rockets guard James Harden practicing today; should be able to return from sprained ankle tomorrow vs. Wizards.

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) December 11, 2012

 

"

Grade: B

Terrence Jones

Each time Terrance Jones is on the floor he shows signs that he can hold his own and play well.

The body of work isn't large but based on what's available he represented himself well.

He is, after all, a first round draft pick. Let him show what he can do.

Grade: C

Jeremy Lin

From the as the ankles turn department, Jason Friedman of Rockets.com reported on Twitter:

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Jeremy Lin rolled ankle in practice. Getting treatment now. McHale said Harden looked good returning from his ankle injury.

— Jason Friedman (@JasonCFriedman) December 11, 2012

 

"

As soon as James Harden looks good and is ready to return Jeremy Lin now has ankle issues. It has been an up and down start to the season for Lin.

His most recent outing against the San Antonio Spurs on December 10 was his best game to date, which makes the timing of the ankle injury that much worse. Hopefully there's more where that came from going forward.

Just like Omer Asik, Lin played awful against San Antonio in Houston's 114-92 loss on December 7.

He more than made up for it the second time around. Jeremy played some ball, tying his career high in scoring with 38 points. He added three rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and two blocks.

It took a first ever triple-double by the Spurs Tony Parker to offset Lin's performance. This should boost his confidence as he faces more elite point guards in the near future. Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics come to town on December 14.

Grade: C

Marcus Morris

Marcus was solid in the Houston Rockets 134-126 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. He shot 4-6 from the field and appeared to bring himself out of the small slump he was in. He had gone 1-12 in the previous three contests.

Overall, Morris continues to be solid in his second season and has made marked improvement and will continue to do so as evidenced by basketball-reference.com.

Grade: B 

Chandler Parsons

Like Marcus Morris, Chandler Parsons has really taken it up a notch this season as well. He started a tad slow, but has found and maintained his groove for the most part.

His 31 point outburst in a 131-103 win over the New York Knicks on November 23 is his current career high. Career highs don't seem to last long with Parsons, his previous high mark of 25 points against the Miami Heat on November 12 only lasted eleven days.

Grade: A

Patrick Patterson

The potential is there for the Houston Rockets to build something with their young talent. Patrick Patterson is another young player who has made improvements.

He's raised his rebounding from a career average of 4.3 up to 4.9 this year. Likewise, he's increased his scoring from 7.0 to 13.4 points a game this season.

Yet he still leaves you feeling like there's more to come.

Through 20 games he has scored 15 or more points eight times and has gone for 20 or more four times.

Grade: B-

Greg Smith

Greg Smith continues to be effective despite the quantity of his minutes continuing to fluctuate. 

He showed just what he's capable of in the Houston Rockets' 107-105 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Smith went 7-8 from the field en route to 21 points, and nine rebounds as Houston avenged an earlier defeat to Los Angeles.

The young guy is shooting .589 from the field, good for fourth in the league if had enough shot attempts.

Grade: B

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