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Q&A with Royce White

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by roxxy, Aug 30, 2012.

  1. roxxy

    roxxy Member

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    Q&A With Royce White
    Talking positional ambiguity, pattern recognition and music with the Rockets' rookie forward

    Jason Friedman
    Rockets.com
    HOUSTON - With training camp about a month away, several Rockets players are already back on the Toyota Center practice court, working to get ready for the upcoming season. To find out what they’ve been up to this offseason, Rockets.com’s Jason Friedman will sit down with each player over the next few weeks to discuss what they’re working on, what their goals are, and how they’ve been spending the summer both on and off the court.

    Taking his turn in the hot seat today is rookie forward Royce White. What follows is a transcript of their conversation.

    JCF: What have you been up to since we last saw you in Vegas?

    RW: Relocating took up a lot of my time, making sure my house was in order. Having OCD, it’s really important for me to get myself organized obviously, so I can get into a nice work flow. That was a process. I never imagined how hard that was going to be and how tedious the work was going to be. But I finally got it under control and now I’m settled in and ready to go.

    JCF: After your Vegas experience, and now getting an opportunity to work out with some more NBA-caliber players here in Houston, do you have a better feel for what position you might be best suited for early on, or does that even matter to you at all?

    RW: It’s hard to say because I don’t even know what position I’m going to be playing, or even if I’m going to play early on. I keep my expectations for myself high, but my expectations for what may happen in the future low. I don’t expect anything, I don’t think that I’m guaranteed a thing. I sort of look at it like I’m going to prepare myself for every scenario, including not playing early on, and if I do get to play then that’s a great opportunity and blessing.

    But I do assume that whatever they throw me out there to do, I’ll excel at it just because I’m a good problem solver and I learn quickly.

    JCF: For what it’s worth, after watching you play in Vegas and giving it some thought, I find myself thinking less about what position you’ll be playing and far more about the areas on the floor you’ll be best equipped to exploit and make use of your skill set. If you’re at the elbow with the ball in your hands, you’re going to be able to make plays regardless of whether you’re playing the four or the three or anything else for that matter.

    RW: Yeah, well one of the things that’s good about players with my size and skill set is, like you said, it doesn’t matter as much what position you play. For example, even take a guy like Michael Jordan: He was a two-guard in the Bulls’ triangle offense, but he was always getting the ball down on the block. So when you have a player like that, all bets are off. There is no blueprint. It just comes down to whatever coach wants to do, whatever he thinks will work, and whatever shows some consistency. From that standpoint, it will be up to me to show that I can perform and produce consistently in those situations.

    JCF: What sort of feedback have you received from the coaches so far?

    RW: Coach McHale tells me that he likes that I can get where I want to get with the ball because it’s going to draw defenders and he knows I’m a capable passer. At the same time, I have to work on finishing, shooting and really everything. But right now I’m really spending a lot of time working on finishing with contact around the basket and working on making quick moves because the length and speed of defenders at this level is so different. In college you could wait around a little bit and beat your defender one-on-one and the help-side defense isn’t nearly as good as what I’m going to face in the NBA.

    JCF: We talked a lot in Vegas about the creative process on and off the court, and what it means to possess the sort of vision that can help you see things develop before they actually happen. Another thing I wanted to explore was how important pattern recognition is when it comes to being a playmaker, and how pivotal a role it plays in terms of being able to rapidly recognize similarities in systems and subtle movements. My theory is that if you have a special gift to recognize patterns, then it probably increases the odds that you’ll be a better playmaker.

    RW: Well, here’s one of the ways I think that applies to me. One of the No. 1 things basketball teams coach on defense in their big men, which are primarily the guys who guard me, is to have them sprint back to the rim after a missed shot. Well if I get the ball off the backboard and am bringing it up, nobody is stopping me because they’re all trying to sprint back to the rim. And if they do try to stop me before they get into the paint, then I have the ability to get by most big guys.

    So that poses a problem for a lot of teams just because it’s so untraditional. I recognize patterns in that way. I just know what they coach people to do and I just try to play to that. If I get the ball off the backboard and I’m coming, then I know what’s going to happen already because it’s so traditional and consistent and a lot of people cannot counter that unless they go back and reconstruct their whole system.

    JCF: Well I can’t let you go without asking you a bit about what you’ve been listening to this summer. What have you been immersing yourself in musically of late?

    RW: I’m really doing a lot of my own things right now. I think you’ll hear this from other people who are very creative: I’m really focused on blocking out all the popular things so that they don’t influence you and that you don’t just become another piece of the pop movement. Of course if your things are successful then they become popular, but it’s important to have your own identity. So I’m really trying to create my own identity without having too much influence.

    I definitely listen to a lot of OneRepublic. Maroon 5 is one of my favorite bands and they just came out with a new album. Even though they have a new band member, he’s fantastic and it’s just a different Maroon 5. And I’m still into the Beatles. I’m really trying to go back and find unheard Beatles material now – that’s what I’m really into: the under the radar stuff; who was writing with them; who was helping them. So I’ve been trying to find that stuff out and then going to listen to those people’s music as well.

    So I’ve just been digging, getting into music history – that’s what I’m into. But OneRepublic is always classic and Maroon 5 is obviously pretty good, too.

    JCF: So a month left until training camp starts – what’s on your agenda until then?

    RW: Get back in the weight room. It’s been a whirlwind three months with moving around, doing draft workouts, coming off of a season, summer league, then the rookie transition program, then I had to move. So it’s been tough to get into a good zone as far as lifting and eating the rights things are concerned – that’s going to be really important to me the next couple months.

    JCF: Do you want to add weight or are you trying to get leaner?

    RW: I like to be as big and strong as possible. The bigger and stronger I get, it doesn’t make me any slower. Actually, as my legs get stronger I get faster. And my frame is one where I can carry weight. I played at 272 throughout college so I definitely want to get back there.

    http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/qa-royce-white
     
  2. Carl Herrera

    Carl Herrera Contributing Member

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    Maroon 5 and One Republic? Are these music for successful NBA players?

    I don't think most athletic people listen to these.
     
    #2 Carl Herrera, Aug 30, 2012
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2012
  3. Rocket_4_Life

    Rocket_4_Life Member

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    If Royce will be playing at around 270, it's doubtful in my opinion that he will spend much time at the three. He'd be the heaviest 3 ever.
     
  4. pnr

    pnr Member

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    Lebron lite?
     
  5. MrButtocks

    MrButtocks Contributing Member

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    He'd be amongst the heaviest 4's as well. That's a center's weight.
     
  6. dobro1229

    dobro1229 Contributing Member

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    He's trying to be more creative, and less pop culture.
     
  7. dobro1229

    dobro1229 Contributing Member

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    Royce is already one of the most interesting and creative NBA players around even as a rookie, but damn somebody needs to get this guy into Flying Lotus, Four Tet, James Blake, or something a little more interesting to the ears.
     
  8. chrispbrown

    chrispbrown Member

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    0 correlation between taste in music and ability!

    Royce white is my new favorite player. He is Arian foster of the rox! Now if he could just produce like foster...

    Really honest and smart guy! Being so open about his "issues" is really cool to me...stand up guy
     
  9. jank1434

    jank1434 Contributing Member

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    Hipster Royce White memes?
     
  10. heypartner

    heypartner Contributing Member

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    When Ron Artest was at his best, he was 260-268 and he is one inch shorter at 6'7. At a questionable 6'6, Chuck Hayes is 250 and has shown the ability to lock down SFs. Anthony Mason at 6'7 was 250-260, and White is compared to him a lot.

    I wouldn't over-think 6'8 270. Plus, it sounds like he weighs less than that right now anyhow. He says the difference in weight doesn't change his speed. And, if he gains mass now, it will likely be muscle from working out, since it's only a few weeks to rookie camp.
     
  11. cbk41

    cbk41 Member

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    I know K-Mart isn't very popular around here, but some elbow offense with Royce and Kevin should be pretty deadly.

    Lin's a good spot-up shooter, Donuts can stretch the floor, and Chandler can slash. I'd like to set that line-up for some elbow offense.
     
  12. roxxy

    roxxy Member

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    I don't know where you got the idea that he is a good spot up shooter from. He isn't very good at it. I think his shooting coach said that is what he has been working on. Lin Offense 0.87 (252nd, 586 poss) including 1.02 (8th) on Isos (15.9% of poss) and 0.80 P&R (67th, 42.8% of poss). Lin was VERY good with ball in his hands. Mediocre spotting up 0.94 (159th,13.3% of poss) & transition 0.86 (267th, 14.3% of poss).
     
  13. tomato

    tomato Member

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    What an interesting player, is there any real precedent (I said real, as in not "LeBron")? If you're playing man defense on him, you have to keep him from getting a good sprint going to the basket as that's the only way we can get his shot at the moment. Doesn't sound unique until you have to also stop him from making Magic Johnson passes, and possible getting the ball back in a new position closer to the rim. Also, does anyone think about white rice when they hear Royce White?
     
  14. tomato

    tomato Member

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    And yes, I know I called for realism and ended up talking about a Royce-centric offense, but I ended it by talking about rice which was a nice touch.
     
  15. Carl Herrera

    Carl Herrera Contributing Member

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    Does the average Maroon 5 fan have the same standing vertical leap measure as the average Jay Z fan? Of course not. There is some correlation between taste in music and athleticism. Thus, Royce White needs to start listening to more athletic music.
     
    #15 Carl Herrera, Aug 30, 2012
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2012
  16. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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    lol.... if JLamb, TJones turn out to be athletic, he does not need to
     
  17. tofu--

    tofu-- Member

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    Quick, someone photoshop Royce White with oven mittens.
     
  18. Arthurprescott2

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    Man... his music taste... I mean I know he's young, but that's only an excuse for so long (if at all?).
     
  19. DrNuegebauer

    DrNuegebauer Member

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    What does that even mean :confused:

    Either they ARE athletic or they AREN'T

    Or are they undergoing some sort of genetic enhancement that I'm not aware of?
     
  20. Carl Herrera

    Carl Herrera Contributing Member

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    It is called "working out," which increases your athleticism. And it is known that athletic people music is better for working out than unathletic people music.
     

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