Week 2 Report Card Grades for Every Houston Rockets Player

The second week of the NBA season has exposed some of the Houston Rockets' flaws. They are still among the league's elite at 5-3 but have a few issues that need to be ironed out going forward. 

Since we last graded the H-town boys, the team took its lumps at the hands of both Los Angeles teams. They lost a heartbreaker at the buzzer against the Lakers on Nov. 7 and were beaten soundly by the Clippers twice in the span of five days. 

Despite the presence of Dwight Howard, defense remains the team's Achilles heel. They were late on the switch against the Lakers, and Steve Blake made them pay by nailing the game-winning three. Houston also let the Clippers put up an astounding 137 points on them in their first meeting on Nov. 4.

On the season, the Rockets are giving up an average of 103.6 points per game (25th in the league). Also, they are only forcing 14.3 turnovers a game, which puts them in the bottom four of the league (27th, to be exact). 

Still, the Rockets have the potential to be scary if they can work out all of the kinks. Here is a look at how every player has graded out so far after two weeks.

The Incompletes

As was the case last week, some players haven't garnered enough playing time to earn the right to be graded. These are their stories. 

Donatas Motiejunas

Donatas Motiejunas is stuck in a awkward position. He's too good to spend his days in the D-League, but still too raw to warrant significant playing time on a team determined to win now. D-Mo hasn't seen the floor since the first clash with the Clippers on Nov. 4, where he played all of five minutes. 

At this point, only an injury to someone above him in the pecking order or a trade will give the 23-year-old the opportunity to show off his vast potential. 

Greg Smith

Like Motiejunas, Greg Smith is in the Incomplete section for the second week in a row. The team's reliance on the three-headed monster of Dwight Howard, Omer Asik and Terrence Jones as their main big men has reduced Smith to mostly mop-up duty. 

He did manage to put up 12 points and seven rebounds in the only time he's had extended minutes (Nov. 4 against the Clippers), but he hasn't been seen since his one-minute performance against Portland on Nov. 5. 

Aaron Brooks

With Patrick Beverley back from an early-season rib injury, Aaron Brooks is back to being the team's emergency third guard. He hasn't played a second of the team's last three games after logging a little over 20 minutes a night filling in for Beverley. 

Ronnie Brewer

Ronnie Brewer has played all of 12 minutes all season and seems entrenched as the team's Juwan Howard at the end of the bench. 

PG Patrick Beverley

Last Week: Incomplete

After recovering from a rib injury sooner than initially anticipated, Patrick Beverley has been the team's bulldog at point guard. He's helped set the tone on the defensive end as his offense has been a little slow to come along. 

After missing the first showdown with the Clippers this season, Beverley shined in the rematch, especially on the defensive end. He notched five steals and stayed in Chris Paul's hip pocket for most of the night. He also put up his best scoring effort by contributing 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting. 

Beverley provides a nice alternative to last year's starter, Jeremy Lin. Where Lin's strengths are attacking the basket and making plays on the offensive end, Beverley's value is as a defensive stopper. 

The Arkansas product isn't without his faults, though. He's had some rough shooting performances, including going 0-for-5 in a recent win over Toronto and nailing just one of his 10 attempts in a loss to the Lakers. 

Also, for all the kudos he deserves for his defensive prowess, his aggressiveness tends to evoke more whistles from the refs than turnovers. He's nabbed at least four fouls in the last three games. Still, he's been a decent contributor so far this season and deserves a little tip of the cap for making it back so soon. 

Grade: C-

PF Terrence Jones

Last Week: D+

Prior to logging 32 minutes in a Nov. 11 win over Toronto, Terrence Jones hasn't seen much of the floor since the last time he was graded. He managed just five minutes in the four games leading up to the Rockets' showdown with the Raptors.

However, coach Kevin McHale decided to get an extended look at the Kentucky product by starting him at power forward coming out of halftime against Toronto. Jones made the most of his extended playing time. He finished with seven points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.

Jones could see his stock rise after that game. Eight games into the season, it has become obvious that the Omer Asik-Dwight Howard tandem is better served in doses as opposed to being the team's main course of attack. That means the team will be looking for someone else to man the interior alongside D12.

With a performance like his most recent one, Jones would appear to have the upper hand on the rest of the team's promising bigs. McHale hasn't officially ditched the Twin Towers idea, nor has he said which way he'd lean at power forward, but the battle should come down to Jones' defense against Omri Casspi's sweet shooting. 

Regardless of how it turns out, Jones is in line for more minutes going forward. 

Grade: C-

SG Francisco Garcia

Last Week: B+

Francisco Garcia has been pretty quiet since getting off to a hot start in the opening week of the season. After scoring in double digits three times in the first four games, he is yet to do so in the four games that have followed. He also missed the team's most recent game against Toronto due to an illness.

When healthy, Garcia serves as a caddy for James Harden and Chandler Parsons as well as a slick shooter off the bench. When he gets hot, he can keep the offensive momentum going while the team's stars take a breather.

That hasn't happened in the last week or so. Since dropping 14 points on the Clippers on Nov. 4, his best performance has been a six-point outing against Portland the following night. He managed just five points combined in the two games that followed.

As the team's defense comes along, it will rely on its explosive offense to carry it forward. That is contingent upon the bench picking up where the starters left off. As one of the best players on the second unit, it is up to Garcia to lead the scoring charge. 

Unfortunately, he appears to have cooled off lately. 

Grade: D+

SF Omri Casspi

Last Week: C

Omri Casspi is in the same boat as Francisco Garcia. After a strong start to the season, the versatile forward has come back down to reality. Despite averaging around 23 minutes per game, the 25-year-old hasn't done much on either end of the court.

He did manage to get a little ink on the stat sheet in a Nov. 11 game against Toronto. He put up five points, six rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal. It's nothing to write home about, but it was a decent overall effort.

The big issue with Casspi appears to be a shooting slump. He's 3-for-14 from the field in his last three games. After starting off 6-for-9 from three in the first three games, he's 2-for-9 in his last three. 

Casspi isn't much of a defender, so if he's not scoring, he's not doing much for the team. He'll have nights where he'll sneak in a good game on the boards, but his bread and butter is from behind the arc. 

The Rockets could use an alternative at power forward to go away from the Omer Asik-Dwight Howard combination. Casspi's play in the preseason and early in the regular season will help put him in the mix. 

However, if he wants to fend off Terrence Jones for minutes and/or a spot in the starting lineup, he'll have to regain his shooting touch from the outside. 

Grade: C-

PG Jeremy Lin

Last Week: B+

Jeremy Lin has been the Rockets' most-improved player through two weeks. Excluding a six-point performance against the Clippers on Nov. 9, Linsanity is averaging 17.5 points per game. He put up his best scoring output of the season in Houston's Nov. 11 win over Toronto, notching 31 points off the bench.

The biggest improvement in Lin's game is in his shooting. After shooting 44 percent from the field and nearly 34 percent from three last season, his percentages are at 54.5 and 45.5 in those respective areas this season. 

He's also come up with a few steals here and there.

Lin has managed to be effective starting in Patrick Beverley's absence as well as backing Beverley up. He's also played well when both he and Beverley are on the court together. 

The knock on Lin is the same as it ever was: turnovers. With the way he attacks the basket and handles the ball, he is going to have games where he's more careless than need be. He's averaging 3.5 turnovers a game this season, but that's the only real blemish on what has been a solid season thus far. 

Grade: B+

C Omer Asik

Last Week: A-

Admittedly, I may have been a little too impressed with how Omer Asik performed as part of the Twin Towers with Dwight Howard in the first week of the season. Asik put up some solid efforts on the glass, and his presence with D12 made life difficult for opponents in the paint.

However, the extra week has exposed a few warts in Houston's big plans. As initially feared, the Asik-Howard tandem makes spacing the floor tougher, as they both need to be around the basket to be effective.

Asik also hasn't been as productive on the boards as he was early on. His 8.1 rebounds per game are solid for a starting center, but those numbers are a little skewed by his excellent early performances. When you throw in Asik's limited offense and the fact that Houston is still giving up a ton of points, it is hard to justify keeping the Twin Towers together.

The best course of action may be to let Asik back Howard up and use the two together at the end of quarters or when the team desperately needs a stop. The Rockets are at their best when they can push the pace and run teams into the ground. They can't do that with both Asik and Howard on the floor together. 

It also doesn't help that Asik hasn't gotten his hands on shots like he did last season. He has one block in his last five games and five blocks for the entire season. For a 7-footer who prides himself on being a solid rim protector, that's not going to cut it.

Asik is still a valuable asset to the team, and there's still time for him and Howard to find their niche. As of right now, that niche doesn't involve them sharing the floor.

Grade: C+ 

SF Chandler Parsons

Last Week: B+

When you're the third option on a team with two elite talents, it is easy to get overlooked. So it is understandable if people outside of Houston aren't aware that Chandler Parsons has averaged 19 points a night in his last three games. 

It is possible that you missed out on his 18 points, five rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal before fouling out against the Raptors on Nov. 11. It is fathomable that you weren't paying attention when the kid from Florida dropped 23 and eight on the Clippers (Nov. 9) or put up 24-12-6 against the Jazz on Nov. 2. 

Parsons has managed to be a viable scoring threat even as his outside jumper has been inconsistent. He's shooting just 25 percent from behind the arc (which, granted, is up from the 17 percent he was converting from deep in the first week). 

One can only imagine what kind of numbers Parsons will put up once he regains his shooting touch. In the meantime, there is an issue that bears watching. Parsons played through back spasms in a win over Toronto, but he doubts he'll be able to play in the team's back-to-back against Philadelphia and New York.

"I can't see myself playing both games," said Parsons, according to Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle. "Unless it gets better in the next 48 hours, it will be tough. It's killing me."

Back spasms aren't a particularly serious injury, but it is worth keeping an eye on in the event that they flare up throughout the season. In the meantime, Parsons has been productive playing in the shadows of Dwight Howard and James Harden.

Grade: B+ 

SG James Harden

Last Week: A

Grading James Harden is dependent on how you view him. Do you lean favorably because he's an electric scorer capable of putting a team's offense on his back, or do you look at him objectively as an emerging star still trying to develop himself as a great all-around guard? 

Based on his stats, it is hard not to give "The Beard" a high grade for the way he has led the Rockets this season. He's averaging 24.9 points (third best in the NBA), 5.1 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 44 percent from the field. 

He's also contributing 2.3 steals a night. 

That's the good. Here's the bad. 

Harden is attempting an average of just over seven threes a game. That wouldn't be such a big deal if it weren't for the fact that's he's only converting 27.6 percent of them. Harden's infatuation with the deep ball can single-handedly shoot the Rockets in or out of a game. It's up to coach Kevin McHale to reel in his franchise guard's shooting habits.

Secondly, as nice as it has been for Harden to come up with a few takeaways, he still needs work as an on-ball defender. You know what made Kobe Bryant the best shooting guard in the league for more than a decade? He was as respected a stopper as he was a scorer.

Harden has made some strides, but he's not there yet. 

Also, turnovers may be par for the course when it comes to an athletic slasher that dominates the ball for 40 minutes, but 4.5 TOs a game is a bit much. In fact, Harden is tied for the league worst in turnovers per game, and his 36 total mistakes have Phoenix's Eric Bledsoe beat by six for the top spot.

The top of the turnover leaders reads as a who's who of the NBA's elite. It's the nature of the business. However, a man charged with being the face of the franchise can't resort to chucking bad shots and making silly mistakes.

Furthermore, Harden gets docked a few points for managing to get hit with two flopping violations in eight games, the second of which resulted in a $5,000 fine, according to CBSSports' Royce Young. 

Real men don't flop, James, especially not guys with a sweet Grizzly Adams beard.

Grade: B-

C Dwight Howard

Last Week: A

As the season progresses, we are starting to see more and more of the old Dwight Howard. His early-season numbers suggest he's pretty much back to being a healthy and dominant force. 

He's averaging 17.6 points, 14.9 rebounds (just behind Minnesota's Kevin Love for the league lead) and 1.9 blocks per game. He's also shooting just under 58 percent from the field. 

As he fights for touches with James Harden and Chandler Parsons, Howard's chances of being a 20-points-per-game scorer are a bit slim. Still, he is capable of impacting a game in ways beyond scoring. 

He has been among the league's greediest players on the glass this season. Even with Omer Asik by his side to clog the paint, Howard has been a beast on the boards. It has been same for his output on the defensive end.

D12's 1.9 blocks per night may not be as eye-popping as Roy Hibbert's or Anthony Davis' swat numbers, but opposing players know to think twice before challenging Howard at the basket.

The only real glitch in the Dwight Howard matrix has been at the free-throw line. Since converting 9-of-12 against Portland on Nov. 5, here are the big man's performances at the charity stripe:

• 5-for-16 in his much-anticipated clash with the Lakers on Nov. 7
• 5-for-11 against the Clippers on Nov. 9
• 4-for-12 against the Raptors on Nov. 11

Howard is shooting 47 percent from the free-throw line this season. He's become a liability at the line in close games, and opponents are going to continue to employ the Hack-a-Dwight strategy until he makes them pay. 

Howard's never been a particularly gifted free-throw shooter. He hasn't made over 60 percent since his rookie season, but he has to find a way to get north of 50 percent. As great as he is in other aspects of the game, it is tough to warrant paying $88 million to a guy you hesitate giving the ball to late in close games. 

Grade: B-