Houston Rockets: Who is the third-best player on the Rockets?

After James Harden and Russell Westbrook, who is the third-best player on the Houston Rockets and why do they deserve that status?

Drawing from the most common starting lineup of the 2019-2020 Houston Rockets season, the obvious answer is Robert Covington. Houston acquired Covington at the end of last season, trading away Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks in a blockbuster four-team deal. Though he is the newest of the starting five, Covington has established himself as a key player on the court.

Standing at 6’7″, Covington is the tallest of James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Danuel House Jr., and P.J. Tucker. The Rockets’ defense has not suffered since they traded away 6’10” center Capela for the purpose of playing small-ball, with the team allowing 109.8 points per 100 possessions in the 50 games before the trade and a 109.7 defensive rating in 10 games after the trade.

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In fact, Covington’s defensive numbers from the 14 total games he has played with the Rockets so far have been phenomenal. He has averaged 7.9 total rebounds per game, second only to Westbrook. Covington leads the team by far with 2.5 blocks per game, using his height and athleticism to his advantage. He also averages 1.1 steals per game, on par with Tucker and House Jr.

One of the major reasons why the Rockets sought after Covington was because of his depth and versatility as a 3-and-D player. As the team continues to improve and develop as a true small-ball team, each and every player on the field must be able to adapt to the fast-paced switching strategy, hence the reason why the Rockets rid themselves of the traditional center position entirely.

Covington’s current field goal percentage sits at 42.1 percent and 3-point field goal percentage at 35.7 percent. Both shooting percentages are lower than Tucker and House Jr.’s but he is taking significantly more attempts than either of them as the Rockets clearly are working on his 3-and-D game. Covington is still a much better shooter than Eric Gordon, the Rocket’s sixth man whose numbers have been lackluster this season.

Though Gordon has averaged 14.5 points per game this season, comparable to Covington’s 12.8 points per game, he is only pulling in 1.9 total rebounds per game, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks for defensive stats off the bench, not to mention a 37 percent field goal percentage and 31.9 3-point field goal percentage.

As for the other two starters, Tucker and House Jr., sure their shooting percentages might be slightly higher than Covington’s, with both of them being fairly reliable 3-point shooters, averaging 37 percent and 36.3 percent respectively. Tucker, however, only puts up 7.1 points per game, the lowest of the five and even against Gordon, even though he plays 34.4 minutes on average each game, the third-highest minutes behind Harden and Westbrook.

It’s clear that Tucker is the least efficient player, though he’s still a consistent starter that the team can count on despite turning 35 this year. House Jr. pulls in 10.2 points a game on average, which is better than Tucker, but the stats show that Covington is just a better defensive player.

Overall, in the few games since Covington’s arrival, he has put up impressive numbers and shown himself to be a good fit for the team. He is a well-rounded player that works with Houston’s small-ball, while still adding size. There is still room for improvement but it will be important to keep an eye out for Covington’s performance on the court when he and the Houston Rockets continue their season in Orlando.