The 2020 Free Agency period will be of utmost importance for the Houston Rockets. Armed with superstars James Harden and Russell Westbrook, the club will look to upgrade its roster for one final push toward a championship. Owner Tilman Fertitta doubled-down on this sentiment in an interview with CNBC.
Houston Chronicle‘s Jonathan Feigen covered the story.
No reason to "blow up" Rockets roster, Tilman Fertitta says https://t.co/LkwrVFkbHL
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) October 20, 2020
Now, Fertitta isn’t exactly known for his honesty nor matching what he says with what he does. Whatever the millionaire mogul says must be taken with a grain of salt.
This aside, the Rockets also have new faces in the front office. Houston promoted Rafael Stone to takeover from Daryl Morey while the Rockets also promoted Eli Wiltus to be Stone’s Assistant GM. There is a considerable amount of pressure on these two to surround Houston’s stars with pieces. The problem is they have no cap and next to no assets to work with.
They will need to be smart, cunning, and savvy to pull-off some moves to improve the roster.
Houston Rockets: 3 Big Men targets to Upgrade Roster
Nerlens Noel
When Houston traded Clint Capela at the deadline last season, it took away two things – a lob threat at the rim and rim protection from the weakside. Nerlens Noel restores both of these things if the Rockets are able to snag the big man in free agency.
Noel has spent the last two years in Oklahoma City coming off the bench behind Steven Adams. In 69 games last season, Noel averaged 7.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks on 69.4 percent shooting and 75.5 percent from the line in 18.5 minutes per contest.
The 26-year-old is a tremendous athlete with superb athletic ability. He is the definition of a rim runner, possessing the ability to catch high lobs and throw it down over players once he spots the pass. Noel is also an excellent shot blocker with excellent timing, regularly meeting opponents at the summit or coming from the weak side.
Nerlens Noel has 20 straight games with a block. That's the longest active streak in NBA.
Quality Fact brewed by @budweiserusa pic.twitter.com/ec9ensPMVc
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 8, 2019
His greatest skill though is his ability to guard the perimeter, move his feet, and use active hands to steal the ball. Noel is a wiry-built player with next to no bulk so he struggles to guard genuine bigs on the block. Luckily in today’s game, there are only a handful of big men who play in the paint. He isn’t the most cerebral defender and does foul at a high rate but his style would complement the Rockets perfectly.
With Houston’s lack of cap space, would the allure of starters playing time be enough to bring him to Houston? A starting Unit of Westbrook, Harden, Robert Covington, PJ Tucker, and Noel is salivating and offers the Rockets an upgrade overall.
Meyers Leonard
Meyers Leonard was a part of the Miami Heat run to the NBA Finals but barely saw any game time. Now, the 27-year-old is looking for a regular spot in a team’s rotation over money according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel.
For those with tracking maps, Meyers Leonard now in north Florida on the way to tonight's destination of Nashville. https://t.co/Zf73FAIDxA Meanwhile, in basketball news, Leonard cites playing time and "an important role" as key to free-agency decision.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) October 29, 2020
Houston could certainly offer him a full-time job as the starting center. In 59 games last season, Leonard averaged 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 20.3 minutes. His shooting splits were excellent, converting on 50.9 percent of his shots and 41.4 percent from three. Leonard’s style of play would certainly suit the Rockets and adding a big man to stretch the floor would be ideal.
The big man isn’t exactly a defensive specialist so pairing him with defensive-minded forwards in Covington and Tucker is important He showed in Miami that he is a capable team defender in an organized system and could come to Houston on a cheap deal.
Ed Davis
When the Brooklyn Nets elected against re-signing Ed Davis, it was met with a small degree of pushback given his respected presence in the locker room. The 29-year-old signed with the Utah Jazz under the assumption of playing time and championship aspirations.
The Jazz made their plans perfectly clear when they met with Ed Davis, and wanted him to be a part of it. pic.twitter.com/03KogPLmGU
— SLC Dunk (@slcdunk) July 14, 2019
However, his role completely diminished. In just 10.8 minutes per game, the 29-year-old averaged just 1.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. Stuck behind Rudy Gobert and Tony Bradley in the rotation, one wonders if Davis remains interested in staying in Salt Lake City.
The big man is a high energy role player who brings hustle and defensive intensity to the floor. He possesses a good nose for the ball and competes ferociously for boards against bigger opponents. Tucker, Covington, and Jeff Green were forced to defend legitimate big men and were simply overpowered. Davis isn’t a big name but his game fills obvious holes.
Houston has some big decisions to make with very little wiggle room. One thing is for certain, the return of a big man is imminent
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