Houston Rockets vs Phoenix Suns postgame review

In an exciting game, the Rockets took down a Suns team that has a few NBA players on it. The Rockets showed toughness down the stretch and gave their fan base a small glimpse of some players who will contribute this season.

From the start, the Houston Rockets seemed a little sloppy. They missed some open shots. They gave up some easy (and emphatic) dunks to Josh Jackson and Marquese Chriss. The team just was not ready to play from the start.

After scoring only 15 points in the first quarter, the Rockets began to click offensively. This seemed to be fueled by Troy Williams beginning to knock down some shots. When the third quarter hit, the Rockets soon took the lead and the crowd started getting back into the game.

The Rockets held a relatively consistent lead throughout the rest of the game and did so efficiently. Josh Jackson, Dragan Bender, and Marquese Chriss provided some trouble for the Rockets from all over the court, but ultimately fell to a well-coached Houston team.

Individually, Zhou Qi had some nice flashes again. He kept shooting the deep ball but just could not buy a three. That did not keep him from shooting though; when he had an open shot, he took it. He had what seemed like four or five blocks throughout the game, one of which came on a Josh Jackson three-pointer that didn’t make it past Zhou’s long frame.

Qi definitely has potential to contribute a light amount of work this season for the Rockets. He would benefit from possibly a full year in the G-league, but the Rockets might call his name sooner than that. His length becomes more and more obvious each time you watch him because he consistently makes plays on defense and is VERY tough to shoot over.

Troy Williams once again led the team in scoring with 27 points. His athleticism became hard to ignore in this game, as he had many good defensive plays and emphatic dunk attempts. You can see it in his shot, he really gets off the ground.

I am going to make a bold statement and say that Troy Williams will have a better career than Sam Dekker. He seems to do many of the same things, only better.

Isaiah Taylor had yet another very solid game, putting up 18 points with 8 assists. He runs the offense very well and the summer team would not be the same without him. His handles are difficult to ignore, his vision is impeccable and his defensive style is similar to Patrick Beverley.

Taylor has done everything he can do to let Coach D’Antoni know that he deserves a roster spot behind James Harden, Chris Paul and Eric Gordon. Taylor was the highlight of the game today.

Chinanu Onuaku did heat up at the end of the game, but has been fairly quiet all summer league. Isaiah Hartenstein didn’t do much this game other than a beautiful full-court pass for an assist. Both will not do much for the Rockets this upcoming season barring a major surprise.

In conclusion, Troy Williams MUST be re-signed before the season starts. Zhou Qi will be great, but he must develop a little further. Isaiah Taylor provides the Houston Rockets with some efficient insurance at the point guard position.

Next: Houston Rockets: Who Should Be the Third Center?

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