Houston Rockets: Trevor Ariza’s Best 3 Games From Last Season

The Houston Rockets have essentially swapped their promising young forward, Chandler Parsons, for a prime 3-and-D player in Trevor Ariza this offseason, in what many believe is an upgrade at the small forward slot. Ariza shot a career high 40.7 percent from beyond the arc last season, which easily trumps Chandler Parsons’ 37 percent from deep.

Moreover, Ariza’s defensive prowess fills a glaring hole in the Rockets’ perimeter defense from last season. The 28-year-old small forward’s abilities will likely mesh well with the Rockets, and his insertion onto the team will give the Rockets a formidable starting five.

Rockets fans should be excited for the swing man’s return to Houston. Here are Ariza’s best three games from the 2013-14 campaign.

3. February 12, 2014: Wizards @ Rockets

32 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists. 3 steals, 55% from the field, 71% from beyond the arc.

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Coincidentally, Trevor Ariza’s third-best game of the season comes against none other than his newest team, the Houston Rockets. His 32 points and a whopping 10 3-point bombs sparked a late surge by the Washington Wizards. Did I mention that the Rockets are in dire need of defensive help?

Rather than cruising to victory, the Rockets witnessed their once 19-point lead nearly vanish as they were down by one point with just four seconds remaining in the game. It took a James Harden miracle during the final seconds of the game for the Rockets to barely secure the win.

This Washington Wizards-Houston Rockets contest last year not only encapsulated the Rockets’ laughable perimeter defense, but it also exhibited that Chandler Parsons and James Harden offer minor resistance to penetrating wing players, and close out late on 3-point shooters.

Instead of exploiting the Rockets’ feeble defense on the perimeter, Ariza’s lanky stature and quickness will now help fortify the Rockets’ perimeter defense.

2. March 1, 2014: Wizards @ 76ers

40 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 60.9% from the field, 66.7% from beyond the arc.

Trevor Ariza had put on a show for the crowd at the Wells Fargo Center in downtown Philadelphia — and the audience included one of Ariza’s childhood favorites, Allen Iverson, whose jersey was retired that night by the Philadelphia 76ers. Ariza accomplished what Iverson had done numerous times throughout his illustrious career, as he scored 40 impressive points.

This achievement gave Ariza a new career high, and 24 of his 40 points originated from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-8 small forward splashed eight shots from deep with ease, much to the dismay of the 20,856 76ers fans in attendance. His 3-point barrage was mostly conceived via John Wall‘s drive-and-kick game.

Although Ariza has a penchant for the corner 3, he’s also an efficient bomber from above the break. James Harden, an accomplished playmaker himself, can and likely will set up Ariza for a litany of 3-pointers in 2014-15 akin to the way John Wall did during Ariza’s milestone performance.

Playing alongside All-Star teammates is where Ariza’s abilities are best accentuated. Not only did Ariza play the best season of his career last year with the Wizards, but he also thrived as a key role player for the Lakers in 2009 en route to an NBA championship. Ariza played exasperating defense for the purple and gold as he came up with a few game-altering steals in the Western Conference Finals versus the Denver Nuggets.

His four steals in this game signify Ariza’s expertise in pressuring ball-handlers and picking their pockets. Thus, Ariza creates easy scoring opportunities for himself in transition as evinced in the video above. He’ll bring much of the same utility to Houston behind star players James Harden and Dwight Howard.

1. April 27, 2014: Game 4, Wizards @ Bulls

30 points, 8 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 steals, 58.8% from the field, 60% from beyond the arc.

Trevor Ariza’s performance in the first round of the 2014 playoffs was vital to upsetting the higher-seeded, fiery, Chicago Bulls. A plethora of wing players have made names for themselves by elevating their games during the playoffs (Paul George, Harrison Barnes, Kawhi Leonard), and Ariza brought his “A” game against the Bulls’ formidable defensive unit.

Due to Nene Hilario‘s suspension, the Wizards entered this pivotal Game 4 without their daunting big man manning the middle of the floor.

Nevertheless, Ariza boldly stormed out of the gates to condition the Wizards to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and they never looked back. The Wizards took a commanding 3-1 series lead as they overcame the absence of their so-called “X-factor,” and Washington eventually went on to oust the depleted Chicago Bulls in Game 5.

Ariza’s offensive dexterity was on full display in the Wizards’ playoff victory, as he effectively utilized pump fakes and screens to clear up open shots and slashed to the basket for dunks. The Rockets could use a key contributor like Ariza in the postseason who can play both ends of the floor cogently– and they will.

After all, why wouldn’t the Rockets use a skilled forward who can successfully derail a Damian-Lillard-3-point shot attempt at the buzzer?