Tag: Jock Landale

2024 Olympics run continues for Australia’s Jock Landale, Jack McVeigh

Rockets center Jock Landale is averaging 17.6 points (67.6% FG) and 9.7 rebounds per game for Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Despite a second straight group-phase loss, Australia (1-2) is advancing to the eight-team, single elimination quarterfinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. That means that for two members of the 2024-25 Houston Rockets — big man Jock Landale and forward Jack McVeigh — their time in the Olympic spotlight will continue into next week.

Friday’s 77-71 loss (box score) to Greece, led by two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, briefly put Australia in danger of being eliminated. However, Canada’s subsequent win over Spain (with Houston teammate Dillon Brooks playing a key role) allowed the Boomers to finish second in Group A competition.

To this point, both Landale and McVeigh have showed why the Rockets have high hopes in them for next year and perhaps beyond.

In three games, here are the average statistical lines for both:

  • Jock Landale: 17.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists; 67.6% FG
  • Jack McVeigh: 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds; 47.1% FG, 50.0% on 3-pointers

Thus far, both have also remained injury free, which is a better outcome than when Landale severely sprained his ankle during an August 2023 international contest while playing for Australia.

Australia’s game time and opponent for its quarterfinal match, which will take place Tuesday, is still to be determined.

Shortly after their Olympic run ends, both Landale and McVeigh will report to training camp with the Rockets, which opens in late September for the 2024-25 season. Landale will be a backup option at center behind incumbent starter Alperen Sengun, while McVeigh offers a reserve 3-point shooting threat at either forward position.

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Dillon Brooks, Canada to face Jock Landale, Australia at 2024 Olympics

In an Olympics matchup featuring three current Rockets, Dillon Brooks and Canada will face Jock Landale, Jack McVeigh, and Australia on Tuesday.

In a 2024 Olympics matchup featuring three current Houston Rockets players, Dillon Brooks and Team Canada will face Jock Landale, Jack McVeigh, and Team Australia on Tuesday morning.

The game tips off at 6:30 a.m. Central from Lille, France, and it will be available to watch and stream live in the United States on Peacock (subscription required). Brooks and Landale are expected to start for their sides, while McVeigh will play off the bench.

The 12 nations in the men’s basketball tournament are split into three groups, with four teams in each group. Canada and Australia are both in Group A, along with Greece and Spain.

At the end of the three-game group phase, the top two teams in each group automatically advance to the quarterfinals. Additionally, the two best third-place teams, as determined by point differential, move on to the eight-team quarterfinals. At that point, the tournament will follow a standard single elimination, knockout format.

Both Canada and Australia won their initial group-phase game on Saturday, with all three members of the Rockets playing well in those games. So, both sides are well positioned to eventually move on to the quarterfinals — and a win Tuesday could potentially clinch it.

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Rockets’ Jock Landale puts up big numbers in USA-Australia exhibition

In a matchup versus recent NBA MVP Joel Embiid, Jock Landale had a massive game in Monday’s USA Basketball exhibition versus Australia.

In a spotlight matchup versus recent NBA MVP Joel Embiid, veteran Houston Rockets center Jock Landale had a massive game in Monday’s USA Basketball exhibition versus Australia.

While playing for Australia, Landale finished with a game-high 20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals in his 27 minutes, shooting 9-of-12 from the field (75.0%). Though the United States entered the game in Abu Dhabi as a sizable favorite, Landale’s big game played a role in Australia’s closer-than-expected loss, 98-92 (box score).

Embiid tallied a pedestrian 10 points and 5 rebounds in 16 minutes, shooting 3-of-6 overall (50.0%) and 2-of-5 on 3-pointers (40.0%).

Both the Americans and Australians are preparing for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, which begin in late July. Australia is part of Group A in the men’s basketball contest, while the Americans are in Group C. Landale is one of two Houston players currently slated to participating in the Olympics, joining Canada’s Dillon Brooks.

Like Australia, the Canadians are also playing in Group A.

Highlights of Landale’s showdown versus Embiid and the Americans are available below. As of now, Landale projects to be Houston’s third-string center next season behind incumbent starter Alperen Sengun and recent acquisition Steven Adams, though the 28-year-old appears poised to at least make a push for more playing time.

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Rockets players Dillon Brooks, Jock Landale expected to compete in 2024 Paris Olympics

Rockets players Dillon Brooks and Jock Landale appear set to play for Canada and Australia, respectively, at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

As of today, the Houston Rockets expect two representatives at the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer: forward Dillon Brooks and center Jock Landale. The contest begins in late July.

Brooks is expected to compete as a defensive ace for Canada, while Landale will be part of the big-man rotation for Australia. In most games at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Brooks started at small forward for the Canadians during their bronze-medal run.

This year, Canada and Australia (both in Group A) are among 12 teams who in the men’s basketball tournament at the 2024 Olympics. Other teams include the United States, France, Germany, Japan, Serbia, Greece, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Serbia, and South Sudan, which will be coached by current Rockets assistant Royal Ivey.

Young prospects Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson are part of USA Basketball’s training camp for the Olympics, though their participation is on a Select Team that is tasked with helping prepare the Olympics group during practices and scrimmages.

Barring injury, neither Smith nor Thompson will be a consideration to actually play for the U.S. men’s team at the Olympics.

In 2023, Landale injured his ankle during a game in August while competing for Australia’s national team, and his fitness was compromised during the early stages of the ensuing 2023-24 NBA season. The hope is obviously for better injury luck this time around.

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Report: Rockets likely to pick up options for Jock Landale, Jeff Green, Jae’Sean Tate

The Rockets appear likely to pick up the team options on Jock Landale, Jeff Green, and Jae’Sean Tate, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

Rockets general manager Rafael Stone already indicated his team is likely to operate above the NBA’s salary cap in the 2024 offseason. Doing so gives Houston more financial flexibility when it comes to retaining its own players.

So, even if reserve players such as Jock Landale, Jeff Green and Jae’Sean Tate don’t have clear rotation roles for the 2024-25 team right now, there’s no need to pinch pennies with those roster spots as long as each player has neutral to positive trade value. In fact, their slightly larger salaries for purposes of salary matching in trades could be a benefit, relative to cheaper options.

With that in mind, The Athletic’s Kelly Iko reports Houston is planning to pick up the option year of 2024-25 on all three of those players. In his latest notebook, Iko writes:

All signs point toward the Rockets picking up the options on veteran forwards Jae’Sean Tate and Jeff Green, team sources said. This list also includes reserve center Jock Landale, even with the expectation Steven Adams, who was acquired in February, will be a sizable contributor next season.

Each option is only for one season and below $10 million, so there’s no long-term commitment on any of the three players.

Better yet, all were positive locker-room contributors on a Houston team (41-41) that exceeded most expectations last season. That 19-win improvement was the biggest year-on-year jump of any NBA team.

So, unless those three are used in a trade between now and the late-June window to decide on those options, it seems like the realistic expectation is for all to return to the 2024-25 Rockets.

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Bleacher Report lists Jock Landale as trade candidate in Houston

With Steven Adams joining the rotation and Jock Landale having a series of team-friendly contract options, Bleacher Report views the latter as a trade candidate.

As the roster stands, the arrival of a healthy Steven Adams for the 2024-25 season will bump Jock Landale from second string to third string on the Houston Rockets depth chart at center.

That, alone, could make the 28-year-old defensive big man a potential trade chip — since his role is already likely to decline in Houston.

Another factor, though, is his contract, which allows for maximum financial flexibility thanks to a series of team options.

That could all lead to Landale being a trade commodity this summer, as Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz explains in a piece examining potential trade options for teams throughout the NBA:

Jalen Green looked like a potential trade candidate for the Rockets to go star-chasing with this summer until he balled out over the final month of the season. The fit and play style between him and Alperen Şengün is worth watching moving forward as well.

For now, we’ll assume both are staying put while still on rookie contracts. No decision needs to be made by Houston at this time.

The safe answer here is Jock Landale, who now becomes the Rockets’ third-string center with a healthy Steven Adams on board.

Landale has one of the more unique contracts in all of basketball, and he’s owed $8 million in each of the next three seasons but with all three years being non-guaranteed.

Houston could use his $8 million salary in a trade this offseason, with the team acquiring the 28-year-old then having the option to keep paying him this money or opt for the cap space instead.

Known best for his defense, the Australia native averaged 4.9 points (51.5% FG) and 3.1 rebounds in 13.6 minutes last season. In compiling those numbers, the 6-foot-11 big man’s plus-9.6 net rating was the best of all players on the improving Rockets (41-41), whose 19-win jump from the previous year was the most of any NBA team.

With Alperen Sengun out, Jabari Smith Jr., Jock Landale stepping up in frontcourt for Rockets

The Rockets haven’t lost a game since Alperen Sengun’s injury, and improved play from Jabari Smith Jr. and Jock Landale is a big reason for it.

With star center Alperen Sengun likely out for the remainder of the NBA’s 2023-24 regular season, the Houston Rockets found themselves thin in the frontcourt when it comes to traditional big men.

While rookie Amen Thompson has filled in capably in the starting lineup, the athletic rookie certainly isn’t a post presence.

Enter Jabari Smith Jr. and Jock Landale. Smith moved from power forward to center after Sengun’s injury, and Landale has taken on a bigger role in matchups where Houston needs rim protection (and to help fill some of Thompson’s vacated bench minutes).

Landale had a career-high 7 blocks in Tuesday’s blowout victory at Washington, while Smith finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 7-of-13 from the field (53.8%).

“It was great,” Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said of Landale’s career night as a shot blocker. “We acknowledged him in the locker room, about that. He was part of the unit that really got us going, from an energy standpoint. Meeting guys at the rim, making the right plays in there, and deterring shots, even if he didn’t block it.”

In four games since losing Sengun to injury, which have all been won by the Rockets, the frontcourt duo is averaging:

  • Smith: 17.3 points, 8.8 rebounds; 55.3% FG, 42.1% on 3-pointers in 30.5 minutes
  • Landale: 10.0 points (64.0% FG), 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 2.0 assists in 22.5 minutes

To say the least, both sets of numbers are significantly ahead of each player’s averages for the season to date. Houston’s perfect record during these four games is obviously ahead of its usual clip, as well.

“He quietly went about his business,” Udoka said of Smith following Tuesday’s impressive road victory over the Wizards. “Four offensive rebounds, and there’s all the things he does besides switching and guarding some bigs. I thought he was really good.”

With four straight road victories, six consecutive overall wins, and an 8-1 record in March, Udoka and the Rockets will now look to keep that momentum rolling when they return to Houston (33-35) for a three-game homestand — starting Thursday night at Toyota Center. Tipoff versus the Bulls (34-35) is at 7:00 p.m. Central.

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Jalen Green soars to first career triple-double as Hawks clip short-handed Rockets

Jalen Green (26 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists) had his first career triple-double, but Houston’s short-handed squad couldn’t complete a rally in Atlanta.

In the finale of a frustrating four-game road trip, the short-handed Rockets led by 12 after the first quarter before running out of steam in Saturday’s 122-113 loss (box score) at Atlanta. Dejounte Murray returned from a two-game injury absence and led the Hawks (24-29) with an efficient 34 points, including 12-of-15 on free throws (80%).

As their Western Conference play-in tournament odds continue to fade, the Rockets (23-29) suffered their first four-game losing streak and are 5-20 away from home all season. In a familiar development, Houston’s late comeback bid couldn’t get over the hump despite closing the gap to five points with just over a minute left.

The Rockets, who were on the second night of a road back-to-back after losing Friday in Toronto, were down four key players due to injury: Alperen Sengun (lower back pain), Fred VanVleet (left adductor strain), Tari Eason (left lower leg injury management) and Cam Whitmore (right ankle sprain). The status of those players for the next game, Monday at home versus New York, is not clear.

Given those absences, several of the remaining Rockets stepped into larger roles and fared well offensively. Standouts included:

  • Jalen Green: 26 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 turnovers; 10-of-22 shooting (45.5%), 2-of-9 on 3-pointers (22.2%)
  • Jeff Green: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 turnovers; 6-of-10 shooting (60.0%), 4-of-7 on 3-pointers (57.1%)
  • Amen Thompson: 12 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals; 6-of-10 shooting (60%)
  • Dillon Brooks: 14 points; 5-of-19 shooting (26.3%), 2-of-10 on 3-pointers (20%)
  • Jabari Smith Jr.: 9 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 steals; 4-of-15 shooting (26.7%), 1-of-7 on 3-pointers (14.3%)
  • Aaron Holiday: 18 points, 2 assists in 22 minutes; 7-of-10 shooting, 3-of-5 on 3-pointers (60%)
  • Jock Landale: Season-high 9 rebounds in 13 minutes

However, Houston often struggled to get defensive stops versus Murray and Trae Young’s high-octane Hawks. After holding Atlanta to 19 points in the first quarter, the Rockets lost intensity as the game progressed, allowing 38 points in each of the next two quarters.

Here’s our look at Saturday’s highlights and postgame interviews from Atlanta, along with reaction by media members and fans. With the road trip complete, next up for the Rockets is Monday’s game versus the Knicks (33-19), with the tip set for 7 p.m. Central.

Report: Rockets could target backup center by February trade deadline

“Houston could look to make an upgrade in their frontcourt behind Alperen Şengun,” Yahoo’s @JakeLFischer says of a potential #Rockets trade.

With offseason signing Jock Landale unable to secure a rotation spot under head coach Ime Udoka, the Houston Rockets are frequently running 37-year-old forward Jeff Green as the backup center behind Alperen Sengun.

Between Green’s age and an obvious lack of height and bulk, many have wondered if it’s a season-long solution. If Rockets general manager Rafael Stone has his way leading up to the in-season trade deadline of the NBA’s 2023-24 campaign in early February, there will soon be another alternative.

Per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports:

Houston could look to make an upgrade in their frontcourt behind Alperen Şengün, sources said, after free-agent signee Jock Landale hasn’t become a fixture in head coach Ime Udoka’s rotation.

Fischer didn’t cite a specific Rockets target in his story, which was published Friday. However, he mentioned Atlanta big man Clint Capela, who spent several seasons with Houston in the 2010s, as being among the leading candidates to be on the move. Another option could be Washington’s Daniel Gafford, Fischer writes.

Gafford, 25, is averaging 10.8 points (69.2% FG) and 7.7 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game, while Capela, 29, is averaging 11.8 points (58.3% FG) and 10.7 rebounds in 25.8 minutes.

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Report: As NBA trade season nears, Rockets aren’t interested in deal for Chicago’s Zach LaVine

Shooting guard has been a position of inconsistency for the Rockets, but Chicago’s Zach LaVine won’t be a trade target, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

Between Jock Landale, Victor Oladipo, Jeff Green, and Jae’Sean Tate, Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone will have tradable salary to make the math work on potential deals in the weeks leading up to the February 2024 trade deadline for this season.

The Rockets (8-8) are off to a better-than-expected start to the 2023-24 campaign, and that’s despite inconsistency at shooting guard from Jalen Green and the unexpected loss of Kevin Porter Jr. just prior to the season (owing to his off-court arrest).

So, if Houston seeks an upgrade to bolster a playoff push, it would stand to reason that shooting guard could be a position of interest. But one player who won’t be a target, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, is seemingly disgruntled Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine.

From Scotto’s trade season preview, which includes information sourced from 15 NBA executives and league sources:

Looking ahead to the trade deadline, Houston will look to continue upgrading its roster with the tradeable contracts of Victor Oladipo, Jock Landale, Jeff Green, and future draft pick(s) compensation, league sources told HoopsHype.

Oladipo is on an expiring $9.45 million deal, Landale is owed $8 million this season and includes no guaranteed money next season, and Green is owed $9.6 million this season and has a team option and a non-guaranteed clause in his contract for next season, per our Rockets salaries page.

While Zach LaVine is one of the top names on the market, the Rockets are not in on his sweepstakes, HoopsHype has learned.

It’s also worth noting that over the past few seasons Jae’Sean Tate has also drawn exploratory trade interest from several playoff-caliber teams, league sources told HoopsHype.

Lastly, before signing with Houston, Reggie Bullock had interest from several teams, including the Bucks, Heat, Celtics, Clippers, and Pelicans. Given his proven 3-and-D capability and current role in Houston, he’s also a name to watch.

LaVine is under contract for more than $40 million annually through the 2026-27 season (player option), though his per-game production — while good — isn’t at nearly at a superstar level. Thus, the Rockets could be aiting for a better return on investment, both financially and in terms of the asset cost that a deal would require.

For the right player, Houston does own a considerable amount of future draft capital, which could be used to incentivize a deal.

December 15, which is two weeks away, is the unofficial start to the NBA’s trade season — since that’s the date in which most players who signed contracts in the recently completed offseason become trade eligible. That opens up considerably more options and targets around the league, and Stone and the Rockets should have incentive to be aggressive as their rebuild enters its second phase.

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