Houston Rockets: Player-By-Player Breakdown of the 2010-2011 Roster
On Tuesday, the Houston Rockets will be at the beginning of a long journey when they face the Los Angeles Lakers.
Last year, the Rockets finished the regular season with 42-40 record.
Although the Rockets set an NBA record for best record by a team with no All-Stars, they finished third in the Southwest, missing their chance at the playoffs.
As we enter a new season with old and new members, here's a breakdown of things to expect from them as individuals on the court.
Shane Battier: Will Age Slow Him Down This Year?
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No. 31 Shane Battier, Forward
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 220 lbs
Age: 32
Experience: nine years
Shane Battier is one of the oldest players on the roster, as he just turned 32; perhaps past an athlete’s prime years, but certainly plenty of quality seasons still remain in his system.
It’s going to be exciting to see him partner up with former teammates and new ones.
Battier has averaged 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 9.8 points per game in his career.
Aaron Brooks: Don't Let His Size Fool You
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No. 0 Aaron Brooks, Guard
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 161 lbs
Age: 25
Experience: three years
As Aaron Brooks enters his fourth season, he has shown increased comfort and confidence.
Brooks has averaged 19 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.2 rebounds while averaging 31.2 minutes during the preseason.
He is one of the smaller guys on the team, but his swiftness on the court will aid the team in getting the job done.
Chase Budinger: Will He Really Get More Court Time?
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No. 10 Chase Budinger, Forward
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 218 lbs
Age: 22
Experience: one year
Trevor Ariza's departure may open the door for Budinger to earn additional playing time in his second season.
The sharpshooting forward will come off the bench behind Shane Battier after averaging 8.9 points, 0.5 steals and 1.2 three-pointers in 20.1 minutes during his rookie season.
Chuck Hayes: Will Improved Fitness Show in His Game?
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No. 44 Chuck Hayes, F-C
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 238 lbs
Age: 27
Experience: five years
Chuck Hayes has made sure to get some spotlight action this season as he got into the best shape of his life.
While looking as dominant as ever on defense, and like more of a threat offensively, Hayes will get the attention he deserves.
With an average of 8.6 rebounds and 5.6 points, Hayes has already proved during the preseason that he’s ready.
Jordan Hill
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No. 27 Jordan Hill F-C
Height: 6-10
Weight: 235
Age: 23
Experience: one year
Buried on the bench for much of his rookie season in New York, Hill found slightly more opportunities for playing time in Houston as injuries mounted.
He averaged 16.2 minutes, 6.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 24 games for the Rockets and showed some promise as a rebounder and shot-blocker. But he will be relegated to a bench role again in 2010-11.
He'll battle Brad Miller, Chuck Hayes and Patrick Patterson for minutes off the bench.
Hill finished with nine points, five rebounds, three blocked shots and four steals Thursday night, running the floor with far greater determination and defending better than he had for most of the preseason.
Jared Jeffries
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No. 20 Jared Jeffries F
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 240 lbs
Age: 28
Experience: eight years
His career total is 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 5.3 points per game in 23.3 average minutes played.
Originally from Washington and New York, his stats from his first with the Rockets last year were 3.9 rebounds and 4.6 points in 18.4 minutes of game time.
He doesn’t get much court time, but as with the rest of the non-starters, will get court time if players start dropping like flies due to injuries.
Courtney Lee
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No. 5 Courtney Lee G
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 200 lbs
Age: 25
Experience: two years
Courtney Lee has been drawing attention in camp with his versatility.
A former member of the Orlando Magic and New Jersey Nets, Lee has proven he can do his job on the court.
Although his career total points per game from his first two years of experience averages out to 10.3 points, Lee’s average for rebounds per game is 2.9 and his average assists per game is 1.4.
Kyle Lowry
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No. 7 Kyle Lowry G
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 205 lbs
Age: 24
Experience: four years
After losing out to Aaron Brooks in the battle for the starting point guard spot, Lowry turned himself into a valuable role player off the bench for the Rockets.
He averaged 9.1 points, 4.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.5 3-pointers in 24.3 minutes off the bench last season, but Lowry likely won't have much value unless the Rockets are in desperate need of assists and steals.
That said, Lowry offers considerable upside as an injury replacement if anything were to happen to Aaron Brooks.
Kevin Martin
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No. 12 Kevin Martin G
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 185
Age: 27
Experience: six years
Martin fit in nicely after a midseason deal sent him packing to Houston, averaging 21.3 points, 1.3 three-pointers and 1.0 steals while shooting 92.4 percent in 7.7 attempts from the free-throw line.
Most valuable for his dominant free-throw shooting, Martin will likely get more opportunities on the offensive end now that Trevor Ariza won't be around to steal his touches.
With Ariza gone, we can expect to see his three-point shooting creep back up to his pre-Houston levels of 1.8-2.0 three-pointers per game.
Although, lets keep in mind that he's an injury risk who has played in an average of just 52.7 games during the past three seasons.
Martin, who had 17 points in 21 minutes, finished the preseason averaging 16.5 points on 49.3 percent shooting but averaged just 21.9 minutes.
Brad Miller
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No. 52 Brad Miller C
Height: 7'0"
Weight: 261 lbs
Age: 34
Experience: 12 years
Acquired as insurance for Yao Ming, Miller may have some life left in him yet.
Sure, he's 34 years old and coming off of his worst professional season in recent memory. But with conflicting reports coming out of Yao's camp, Miller could find plenty of playing time in Houston.
Just a year removed from averaging 11.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 0.7 steals in 2008-09, Miller's value will depend heavily on the health of Yao.
Patrick Patterson
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No. 54 Patrick Patterson F
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 235 lbs
Age: 21
Experience: Rookie
Lottery-selection Patrick Patterson has been solid as well, showing off the skills, toughness and intellect that made him such an outstanding player at the University of Kentucky.
With no experience in the NBA, his best performance on the court has come in the preseason game against the New Jersey Nets.
After only 19 minutes of court time, he managed six points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
Luis Scola
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No. 4 Luis Scola F-C
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 245 lbs
Age: 30
Experience: three years
Luis Scola is coming off another summer of starring for the Argentinean national team and looking like the best player on the court on a nearly nightly basis.
With a preseason average of 6.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 17. 8 points, Scola has nearly doubled or met his career averages.
Ishmael Smith
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No. 13 Ishmael Smith G
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 175 lbs
Age: 22
Experience: Rookie
Ishmael Smith has been a revelation so far, impressing everyone with his eagle eye and ability to get into the lane at will.
A rookie from Wake Forest, Smith has averaged five points and 3.3 assists while averaging 17 minutes during the preseason.
Jermaine Taylor
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No. 8 Jermaine Taylor G
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 210 lbs
Age: 24
Experience: one year
With 9.8 minutes of game time in his career, he doesn’t have too much to build on. However, given the chance this year due to infamous teammates' injuries, he could prevail.
Yao Ming
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No. 11 Yao Ming C
Height: 7'6"
Weight: 310 lbs
Age: 30
Experience: eight years
All injury talk aside, Yao’s initial years were impressive in the progress department.
Yao finished his rookie season averaging 13.5 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game and was second in the NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting to Amar'e Stoudemire.
In his second season, Yao averaged career highs in points and rebounds for the season and had a career-high 41 points and seven assists in a triple-overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks in February 2004.
Yao finished the season averaging 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds a game. Although they were eliminated in the first round by the Lakers, Yao also averaged 15.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in his first playoff series.
