[Chron] Rockets countdown a look at the point guards

Didn't see this posted so here goes.

There's also a poll on who should be the starting point guard...

http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2013/09/rockets-countdown-a-look-at-the-point-guards/

By Jenny Dial Creech and Jonathan Feigen

The Rockets open camp on Sept. 28, and while the big off-season move came at center (you remember, Dwight Howard) the team that opens the season on Oct. 30 vs. Charlotte may have a very different roster from last year. This week, the Chronicle will break down the Rockets at each position:

Point Guards

The Roster:

Jeremy Lin, 6-3, 200

Experience: Lin is entering his fourth year in the league, but last year with the Rockets was his first full season with an NBA team. In his first two years, he played less than half of each season (first with Golden State, then New York). He started in every regular season game for the Rockets last year and played in four playoff games before suffering a chest injury.

Patrick Beverley, 6-1, 185

Experience: Beverley enters his second year in the NBA this season and is coming off a solid playoff performance for the Rockets. After averaging 17.4 minutes, 5.6 points and 2.9 assists in the regular season, he played 33.3 minutes, scored 11.8 and had 2.8 assists per game in the Rockets’ playoff series against Oklahoma City.

Aaron Brooks, 6-0, 161 lbs

Experience: Entering his sixth year in the league, Brooks has spent three full seasons with the Rockets and two partial. In 2010-11, he spent about half the year in Phoenix and last season he played for Sacramento for 66 games.

Isaiah Canaan, 6-0, 188 lbs

Experience: The rookie was selected 34th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft in June.

Last year:

The big news at point guard for the Rockets last season was, of course, the acquisition of Lin, who had the city buzzing with big expectations for the young guard. Lin averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 assists in the regular season and was hurt in the playoffs when he suffered a bruised chest muscle, sidelining him for the final three games of the series with Oklahoma City

Beverley’s claim to fame last year came late in the season when he collided with Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook in the playoffs. Westbrook ended up with a torn meniscus and the entire state of Oklahoma pointed fingers solely at Beverley. Beverley responded well to his position as most hated player on the court in that series, averaging 11.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

Brooks is three years removed from his best season, which was spent in Houston. In 2009-10, he averaged 19.6 points per game and 5.3 assists. He was traded the following year to Phoenix and then went to Sacramento after that, where he spend most of last season, averaging 8.0 points and 2.3 assists off the bench. He came back to Houston in March and officially signed a one-year deal with the Rockets in July.

Canaan had an impressive career at Murray State, where he finished the 2012-13 season with 21.8 points and 4.3 assists per game for the 21-10 Racers.

Looking ahead:

Lin isn’t going anywhere. He is one of the faces of the team right now and the expectations of what he can do are still very high. There is already loads of buzz about what he and another new Rocket, center Dwight Howard, can do with the pick-and-roll. Brooks was brought in to provide some depth. He has shown what he is capable of in a Rockets uniform, but that was three years ago and he has not performed at that level since. Beverley had a strong finish in the 2012-13 season. The big question now is how will Canaan fit into this group? He is small, but a skilled scorer and passer. All eyes were on him for the start of summer league, but he did not play due to a sprained ankle. So question marks still surround him and he will have a lot to prove in the next few weeks.

Feigen’s take

The aftermath of Linsanity was that Lin seemed to always be overrated or underrated. After his abbreviated postseason cameo, his reputation has swung back to the underrated side. Even with the rise of Patrick Beverley, Lin’s play will remain crucial to the Rockets offense. Dwight Howard has always operated well with swift, attacking pick-and-roll point guards and that does describe Jeremy Lin. But with James Harden handling the ball so often, Lin will have to show that he can keep up the strong 3-point shooting in the final three months of the season (roughly 40 percent) rather than his misfiring start to season. Lin should benefit from the healthy offseason and training camp he did not have last season. Shooting well could also earn him time in a backcourt with Patrick Beverley as the Rockets seek to dramatically increase Beverley’s playing time. Either way, Beverley is likely to finish games more often with the Rockets loving the full-court defense he brings. Aaron Brooks will have to compete for a roster spot with rookie Isaiah Canaan slotted to spend his season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

 

Since Lin is healthy and has 1 full season under his belt, here's hoping for a productive season...