The Houston Rockets are starting three guards in Friday’s scrimmage opener from the NBA “bubble,” in Florida, with Eric Gordon starting next to the All-Star backcourt of James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The news was first reported by Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
As usual, P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington will start in the frontcourt, with Gordon’s inclusion pushing Danuel House Jr. to the bench.
For the fifth spot in the lineup, Houston coach Mike D’Antoni has bounced back and forth between the 6-foot-6 House and 6-foot-3 Gordon all season. While Gordon offers substantially more experience and shooting, House brings additional length and defensive versatility.
House has drawn praise for his play in training camp, so the move shouldn’t be looked at as a demotion. He’s averaging 10.2 points (36.3% on 3-pointers) and 4.2 rebounds in 30.0 minutes per game this season.
Meanwhile, Gordon is the third-leading scorer on the Rockets (40-24), averaging 14.5 points in 28.6 minutes per game. His 2019-20 season has been plagued by a nagging right knee injury, but he says the extended time off due to the NBA’s COVID-19 hiatus finally allowed him to get healthy. D’Antoni has raved about his camp performances, as well.
Both House and Gordon average about the same minutes per game when starting or coming off the bench. Thus, D’Antoni’s choice on who starts and who doesn’t is primarily based on usage patterns, and how each player fits in alongside the starting group and various bench units.
It’s also worth noting that Friday is just the first of three scrimmages, and D’Antoni could easily experiment with starting House in one or both of the next two scrimmages on Sunday and Tuesday.
Tip-off against the Raptors is set for 6:30 p.m. Central from Florida, with a live television broadcast available on NBA TV.
