NBA.com : Alston boosting the Rockets with his steady play

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Alston boosting the Rockets with his steady play
Miami at Houston, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer

HOUSTON -- Before arriving in Austin for training camp, Rafer Alston wasn't sure what his role would be with the Rockets.

During a busy offseason, the team added veteran point guards Mike James and Steve Francis along with first-round pick Aaron Brooks.

Unsurprisingly, Alston wondered how he fit in. He even had a chat with the Rockets' staff to see what the plans were for him.

"The talk wasn't to get traded," Alston said. "The talk was to understand where I fit in the organization."

Four months later, Alston is fitting in just fine.

Despite all the uncertainty about his role heading into the preseason, Alston has remained the Rockets' starting point guard and his steady play has helped keep Houston in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.

The Rockets (33-20) have won nine straight games heading into Thursday's game against the Miami Heat, reeling off the franchise's longest winning streak since the 1998-99 season.

Alston has been a major reason for the surge. During Houston's current nine-game streak, the Rockets' floor general has averaged 15.0 points on 43.6 percent shooting. He swished a season-high six three-pointers in Tuesday's win over Cleveland, breaking the 20-point barrier for the second straight game.

In other words, the Rockets point guard has played well since enduring a preseason filled with questions.

"He's been mentally tough," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "He's really taken the challenge of coming in here and winning the job. You got to give him credit because he's just gotten better each month."

Alston struggled with his shot early in the season even though he enjoyed a solid preseason camp.

But with the Rockets adjusting to some offensive changes under Adelman, the point guard was the right fit. Alston did the best among Houston's collection of point guards of running the team's offense and getting everyone on the same page.

Eventually, his shot started dropping too. Alston has gotten into a good rhythm with his long-range shooting of late, lifting his three-point percentage to 34.3 percent.

He's also made strides finishing on drives. That has resulted in a major improvement in his field goal percentage.

Even though he is shooting at a lower clip beyond the arc than he was a year ago, Alston is shooting 40.1 percent from the field this season compared to last season's 37.5 percent effort.

"I'm always driving," Alston said. "I've done a better job driving than I have the previous two years. That's always been a strength of mine."

What is he doing differently? Alston said it's all about how he's bracing taking contact. Right now, he isn't bracing for it when he goes to the bucket.

"Finishing," he said. "I'm driving and finishing. In the past, I was probably looking to get the hit first instead of finishing. Now, I'm looking to finish and absorb the hit last."
Alston, though, realizes his main role is to run the team.

That is, after all, what earned him the starting nod early in the season when he wasn't so sure about his status.

Back then, the Rockets had five point guards in training camp -- including John Lucas III -- and it seemed likely that Alston might be elsewhere when the season started.

Now, he's leading the Rockets again. He's regained his starting role -- even if he's only holding it for more would-be challengers in the summer.

"I'm looking forward to the next summer when we have seven guys in camp," Alston quipped.

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Interesting.