A less-heralded free agency acquisition, Tarik Black may play a significant role for the Houston Rockets this season. In what ways can he help the team?
As a result of the headline trade for Chris Paul and the additional signings of P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute, many are forgetting that the Houston Rockets also added a very capable big man to their rotation.
Yes, I am talking about Tarik Black. In fact, Black actually signed before Mbah a Moute did, but because of his expected role as the third big man, many overlooked the addition.
But with Montrezl Harrell being traded in the Paul deal, there was a hole in the Rockets’ big man rotation that Black will fill.
Black returns to Houston after playing the past two and a half seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. During this past season, Black averaged 5.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 16.3 minutes per game.
Per 36 minutes, Black averaged 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, showing he can help Houston on the glass and by defending the rim. Black can also help by setting good screens for players such as Paul and James Harden, allowing them to get separation on drives to the rim, thus opening shots on the perimeter.
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Black’s role with the Rockets will be one similar to Montrezl Harrell‘s role last season: a third-string center that is the primary backup on nights that Nene rests. At this point in his career, Nene doesn’t play both ends of back-to-backs and sits out other random games in order to be fresh for his 15-20 minute stretches during key games.
Last season Harrell played in 58 games, 14 of which he started. Of course, Clint Capela missed a month of last season due to injury, thereby forcing Harrell and Nene to start more than usual. However, Black shouldn’t expect to play in most games. Instead, he should prepare to play around 20 minutes per game in the games that Nene sits.
Black began his NBA career in Houston during the 2014-15 season, playing in 25 games as a spot starter replacement for the oft-injured Dwight Howard. During those 25 games, Black played around 16 minutes per contest and averaged 4.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Therefore, Black has experience as a fill-in big when injuries strike, and he has used his opportunities well.
Perhaps more importantly, Black has chemistry playing alongside Harden and Trevor Ariza, and is known as a very good person and teammate around the league.
The signing didn’t make the headlines on SportsCenter, nor will it be widely discussed in season previews, but it’s a very good value play for the Rockets (Black will make $3.29 million next season). It’s clear that Houston will continue to monitor Nene’s minutes and games played even more as he continues to get older, meaning Black could see an increased role for various stages throughout the season.
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For other teams, a third center making over $3 million wouldn’t make much sense. After all, Black could go a week or two without even playing. However, in Houston’s case, a third center is forced into a larger role several times during the season (if not more as a result of injuries), thus putting more importance on having a quality third-stringer. And Black is exactly that.