After the Houston Rockets lost key contributors off the bench in Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik this summer, many NBA writers — including myself — chided Houston’s depleted bench unit for its lack of experience and talent. While it’s important to take preseason games with a small grain of salt, seeing as they are tiny sample sizes of the regular season, exhibition games in particular are the perfect opportunity for unknown players to showcase their abilities.
Here’s a look at a couple of youngsters on the Rockets who may prove to be viable replacements for Lin and Asik off the bench this season.
Troy Daniels
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Daniels was merely an obscure D-League player before he hit a game-winning 3 in the first round of last year’s playoffs. As he often shoots long-distance shots toward the basket, Daniels has simultaneously aimed to solidify a vital role off the bench for Houston — and he hasn’t disappointed.
During the preseason, he’s 9-for-17 on his 3-point attempts, which is a blistering 52 percent. While he certainly isn’t a lockdown defender by any means, he’s shown the ability to disrupt his man with relentless effort.
Against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, Daniels knocked the basketball loose from his man and dove on the floor to tip the ball to his teammate — which led to a breakaway layup for the Rockets.
He was only a rookie last season, but his demeanor on the court doesn’t show it. From diving and driving for loose balls, to strutting up the floor after a rebound and pulling up for threes that splash through the hoop, Daniels has displayed the poise and productivity of an NBA veteran; however, what really stood out to me about the 23-year-old is how comfortable he’s looked while handling the basketball.
He’s shown the aptitude for creating his own shot, in addition to spotting up. According to NBA.com/Stats, 21.4 percent of Daniels’ above the break 3s were unassisted last season. His diverse shooting skills are valuable and should ensure employment in the league for years to come.
Kostas Papanikolaou
Papanikolaou has put his craftiness with the basketball on display during the preseason, which enables him to drive to the hoop, stop on a dime, and convert on the little three-foot bunny. Here’s a video of Papanikolaou taking on the defensive monster known as Anthony Davis on Tuesday night.
He certainly doesn’t possess the athleticism that Davis has; however, just like the former Rocket Luis Scola, Papanikolaou utilizes fundamentally sound skills to be effective: great footwork, pump fakes, and, according to coach Kevin McHale. playmaking ability.
"From Jenny Dial Creech: “I like what I see of him,” McHale said. “He knows how to play, makes plays, drive with the purpose of making the next play. Sometimes the next play is scoring, sometimes the next play is passing. He has good basketball sense which helps a great deal.”"
It isn’t surprising that McHale is looking for Papanikolaou to create plays for his teammates in light of Chandler Parsons‘ departure. The only playmakers who were seemingly left on the roster after Parsons signed with Dallas were James Harden and the obsolete Jason Terry, but perhaps the arrival of Big Papa will help mitigate the absence of Parsons’ offensive versatility at the small forward slot.
It’s difficult to render Daniels’ viability thus far as a fluke after he proved his impressive shooting performances during the 2014 playoffs and preseason, and Papanikolaou is seemingly ready to compete at the NBA level after spending the last two years playing in Greece.
Houston’s notable 3-1 preseason record thus far wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions of these two key cogs. Perhaps Houston’s “depleted” bench will surprise people this season.