Minutes and role might increase, but he only has so much energy to spend. He's playing longer stretches and focusing more on scoring than ever before, so those other areas of his game might lag behind at least until he's more comfortable in the system.
It'd be great if he does, but I just want him to help the team win. Whether he's scores 20 a night or not, if the Rockets keep winning and he contributes to those wins, then I'm satisfied.
I thought his assists did go up? He's impressed me with his passing ability so far. Of course he still commits turnovers, but I believe those will go down as he gets more comfortable with his new role.
You could actually make the case for many Rockets players this season if they keep the current pace: Brooks, Scola, Landry, Hayes... But Rockets never win media friendly awards, so do not get hopes up. When was the last time a Rockets player/coach/staff won an award? They gave Yao the co-rookie of the year, when he was clearly the deserving winner.
Yao didn't win co-rookie of the year. Amare won it outright. I believe the last award a Rocket won was Francis winning co-rookie of the year with Elton Brand.
i agree except for the scola part. in my opinion he hasnt improved since last year...hes been good the last few years
He's getting 4 assists per game? That's more than double his previous best. Pretty sure that's gone up. As for rebounds - he's a perimeter defender, so 4.5 isn't too bad.
Those of you complaining about his stats are forgetting the biggest knock people have when he signed. That is, his production would go down due to not having Kobe/Gasol/Odom to give him open looks. Despite what you may think of his PER or rebounds or whatever, Ariza has at least shown that he doesn't need superstars to play well. And that he can be an integral part of a solid offense.
