It remains to be seen whether the new-look Houston Rockets have enough quality to contend for the 2020-21 NBA title and, perhaps, eventually convince All-Star guard James Harden to rescind his trade request. As of Monday, Harden clearly didn’t want to discuss that topic.
But after his first week of training camp, “The Beard” clearly sees reasons for optimism regarding several of his new teammates — in particular, emerging big man Christian Wood and former All-Stars John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. With videos, here’s a sampling of what Harden had to say Monday regarding those three newcomers.
On Wall:
His playmaking ability is very, very good. He’s getting guys shots, he’s getting into the paint, he’s drawing pressure at the rim, which allows everybody to get shots.
James Harden on John Wall: "His playmaking ability is very, very good. He's getting guys shots, he's getting into the paint, he's drawing pressure at the rim which allows everybody to get shots." pic.twitter.com/PY1ngsAp2C
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) December 21, 2020
On Wood:
Very athletic. Uses his length very well. Can shoot the basketball. Can handle it and make a play. He’s very versatile as a big. It’s a nightmare matchup for natural centers who are closing out to him or trying to guard him one-on-one.
https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=pOjpcs7CJQ-1076898-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on
James Harden on Christian Wood: "Very athletic. Uses his length very well. Can shoot the basketball. Can handle it and make a play. He's very versatile as a big. It's a nightmare matchup for natural centers who are closing out to him or trying to guard him one-on-one." pic.twitter.com/gfOvGnqeM1
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) December 21, 2020
On Cousins:
He’s very versatile, scoring-wise. He can score from the block, which we’ve all seen before. He’s way more comfortable with his 3-ball. So he’s versatile. He has different dynamics to his game, offensively, which allows us more spacing.
Head coach Stephen Silas said that his starting lineup for Wednesday’s regular-season opener versus Oklahoma City would likely feature Harden and Wall in the backcourt; Wood at center; and Danuel House Jr. and PJ Tucker at the forward spots. Cousins is expected to play a prominent role off the bench, largely as Wood’s backup in the middle.
Harden’s complete media availability session after Monday’s practice at Toyota Center can be viewed below.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCbmZPig-S0
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