how many years did rocket fans dream of having a PG that averaged 12ppg, 4rpg, 6.7apg, 1.6spg, 2.7 a/to ratio. yes he shot a piss poor % because he was one of the go-to guys last season. he was completely out of his role. by the way his average of 6.7apg ranks #10 in the league, and it begs the question...who was he passing to? he definitely didn't have yao, tmac, shane, bonzi. he won't be playing 38mpg this season. more like 30. statistically that drops his apg to 5.25, but with the added fire power i can see him easily staying at 7apg.
if he has improved his shooting % then well be fine. we all know he can pass, but shooting was really an issue last year.
He knew that he is on the driver side and RA definitely need to master the distribution. He will pick up the slack that he missed last season. Rafer, you're the MAN! :
The thing is Rafer's shooting efficiency last year was just slightly bad for him. He is a career .387 shooter, terrible. His career FT 72%, and 3%, .356, are also not good for a starting PG. Also, APG is not a key measure for a Rocket PG's effectiveness. The key measures are does he shoot well off the ball (particulalry 3s) and does he defend. A/TO (taking care of the ball) is next, but after shooting and defending. In fact Rafer's assists should go down with the ball more in Tmac, Yao and Bonzi's hands. Rafer's comments are encouraging (working and working on his shot). His key to remaining a starter and having high minutes is primarily tied to getting his FG% above 40% and his 3% in the high 30s. I hope he can do it--it would make us a better team, but if he doesn't there will be a lot of guys (Head, VS, JL3) gunning for those minutes and maybe starting PG role.
