It remains to be seen whether the modern Houston Rockets have enough quality to battle for the 2020-21 NBA title and, perhaps, eventually convince All-Star guard James Harden of the postpone his trade application. On Monday, it was clear that Harden did not want to speak on that subject.
But after his first week of training camp, “The Beard” clearly sees reasons for optimism for a number of his new players – in particular, emerging bigman Christian Wood and former All-Stars John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. With videos, here ‘s a sample of what Harden had to say Monday about these three newcomers.
On Wall:
His playing ability is very, very good. He gets guys shots, he gets into the paint, he pulls pressure at the edge, which allows everyone to get views.
On wood:
Real athletics. Uses its length well. Can shoot the basketball. He can handle it and make a play. It’s very multifaceted as a big deal. It’s a nightmare matchup for natural establishments shutting him out or trying to defend him one-on-one.
Air Cousins:
It’s very multifaceted, scoring. He can score from the block, which we’ve all seen before. He is in a way more comfortable with his 3-ball. So it is multifaceted. It has a different dynamic to its game, ridiculously, which allows us to give it more scope.
Head coach Stephen Silas said Harden and Wall would likely be in the back court on his starting lineup for Wednesday’s regular-season opener against Oklahoma City; Wood in the middle; and Danuel House Jr. and PJ Tucker at the forward spots. Cousins is expected to feature prominently off the bench, largely as Wood ‘s center back.
Harden ‘s full session in the media after Monday’ s practice at the Toyota Center can be seen below.