Who will start at Power Forward when the Season Starts?

When Luis Scola was a rookie he did not start right away but the Rockets had an incumbent starter at the Power Forward spot from the previous season in Chuck Hayes.

Chase Budinger was the starting Small Forward at the beginning of last season instead of Chandler Parsons but chase was the incumbent starter from the previous season so obviously he had a chance to start.

Both Scola and Parsons eventually started in their rookie years. I think had the starting position of Power Forward been an open competition in training camp during Scola’s rookie season he would have won it from day one. Because of the lack of any off-season I’m not so sure that Chandler would have won a starting spot from game won but who knows. The point is that there was no open competition for the Small Forward spot going into Chandler’s rookie season and there was not open competition for the Power Forward spot in Scola’s rookie season.

But unlike those other two scenarios, there will be an open competition for the Power Forward spot on the Rockets. There is no incumbent starter and no free agent was signed with the intent of handing over the position to him. There are four obvious candidates as of this point: Patrick Patterson, Donatas Motiejunas, Royce White and Terrence Jones. There are reasons that any of them could win the starting position.

1. Patrick Patterson – 6’9” 233 lbs and 23 years old. He has two seasons on the team as a rotation player.

Strengths:
- Good outside shot
- Solid defender

Weakness:
- Not aggressive, tends to disappear on the court
- Does not like to rebound
- Avoids trying to score in the post for lack of confidence or post moves.

Some of Pats issues could be related to his off-season ankle injury. He showed very good athleticism as a rookie but not as a sophomore. He appeared to regress in his second season. We will see if a fully healed ankle can put him back on the path he appeared to be on as a rookie.

2. Donatas Motiejunas – 7’0” 222 lbs and 21 years old. Rookie in the NBA but a veteran of professional basketball in Europe.

Strengths:
- Great post moves with both hands
- Solid pick and roll defense
- Very aggressive
- Very good offensive rebounder
- Good outside shot that extends out to 3pt range
- Runs the floor great for a 7 footer
- Outstanding height for a power forward
- Aggressively chases the rebound on the offensive end

Weakness:
- Will get pushed around by stronger power forwards in the post
- Needs to be a better defensive rebounder
- Lack of NBA experience

Donatas has great length for a power forward and plays with a very high motor. He is constantly working on the floor with or without the ball. He ran Meyers Leonard out of the gym in the summer league game against Portland.

3. Royce White 6’8” 270 lbs and 21 years old. NBA rookie and only one year of college ball after he sat out a year.

Strengths:
- Most nights will be the strongest man on the court
- Has point guards skills in power forwards body
- Can handle the ball extremely well in the open court
- Highly advanced running the fast break
- Very good rebounder

Weakness:
- Sometimes turns the ball over trying to make the spectacular play
- Outside shot
- Free Throw shooting
- Suspect defender out on the floor
- Difficult time getting his shot off in the post against taller players

Royce is the ultimate team player who would rather get an assist helping his teammate score 40 than to score himself. Strong as hell but he is not ideal height for a power forward. His strength appears to be grabbing a defensive rebound and leading the fast break.

4. Terrence Jones 6’9” 250 lbs and 20 years old. No NBA experience and only 2 years of college experience.

Strength:
- Great NBA body that is ready right now
- Very good rebounder
- Can handle the ball on the perimeter
- Runs the floor well
- Very active scoring around the basket
- Solid defender
- Shooting range out to the 3pt line

Weakness: ?

I tried to think of a weakness for Terrence but I’m having difficulty. His lack of NBA experience? It was rumored that he may have an inconsistent motor but we really did not see that at the summer games. He does a lot of things really good but not necessarily great. Good post moves but not as good as Donatas. Good passer but probably not as good Royce. Having said that he does not have the weaknesses that those two have.

Many think Pat is the hands down choice to start the season as the power forward because of his NBA experience. I don’t think so unless he takes a giant step forward from last season. Terrence could do it but it but I think when the Rockets play their first regular season game, Donatas Motiejunas will be the name called out as the starting power forward. I think this because of his already developed game and his great height and very good athleticism. Pairing a pair of athletic 7 footers (Asik and DMo) I think will be too much for McHale to pass up. While Motiejunas is going to get manhandled in the paint, Asik will be there to help him. DMo’s pick and roll defense will make him useful on defense while his offensive skills will help to offset the lack of offense at the Center and Small Forward spots.

Edit

 

Two trains of though on this.
1. Chandler Parsons did not have an off season to really challange Chase who had two years experience on him.
2. It was not an open compitition ging into training camp as Chase was the incumbent starter.

There will be open compitition for the power forward spot this season.