Houston Rockets tip off preseason versus Shanghai Sharks

Houston Rockets host Yao Ming’s Shanghai Sharks as they begin the preseason phase of their 2016-17 season.

Sunday night marks the inaugural game of

Mike D’Antoni

‘s Houston Rockets as they make their preseason debut. Their opponent is Yao Ming’s Shaghai Dongfang Sharks. While Ming’s Sharks aren’t an NBA caliber team they do boast a few recognizable names such as Jimmer Fredette and Celtics second round draft pick Guerschon Yabusele.

Especially relevant for H-Town fans is seeing how Mike D’Antoni has effected the product on the court. More specifically fans are keen to see how the new look offense will work with James Harden starting at the point. Hence, will Beverley line up as the starting shooting guard or will new recruit Eric Gordon? Further, how much has Jeff Bzdelik been able to get his defensive sets ingrained with the players?

So much has been made of the mini training camps Harden orchestrated this summer. Most of the current roster participated in these sessions, so the expectations are the team should be primed to compete.

Key things to watch for:

• Just as the Warriors versus the Raptors game featured on NBA TV last night expect to see the main stars in limited minutes.
• How will the new look starting line-up function with James Harden running the point?
• Houston’s starting line-up will likely play no more than 20 minutes a piece.
• Emphasis will be paid to how certain players function as a unit .
• Also keep an eye for training camp invites as well as the youngsters on the squad.
• The second half will likely feature these youngsters predominantly while the coaching staff look to see who should potentially make the varsity squad.

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New Players:

Though some players joined the squad post Harden’s mini camp they’ll surely see action during the preseason.

• Obviously the main players fans will be looking for are Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon and Nene Hilario
• Joining the club as a late training camp invite P.J. Hairston might get some run
• The trade that brought Tyler Ennis to Houston occurred late, but look for the Canadian to vie for solid minutes in the rotation

Game Time:

NBA TV will carry the game for those not located in Houston, while the home town fans can watch on Root Sports. Tip Off is at 7PM central time and 8PM eastern time.

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Next: Rockets Preseason Schedule

Next up in the preseason schedule the Derrick Rose’s “super team” New York Knicks will match up versus the Rockets on Tuesday.