Houston Rockets: 3 takeaways from Anthony Bennett and Tyson Chandler signings

The Houston Rockets have signed two backup big men for next year’s roster, Tyson Chandler, and Anthony Bennett. Can they be good additions to the team? Will Anthony Bennett even make the 15 man roster? Those questions remain to be answered, but I believe there are 3 reasons why the signings will have a positive impact for the Houston Rockets.

Rockets fans, it is a true pleasure to be with you once again. Since my last article, the Houston Rockets have made some new acquisitions (Russell Westbrook), along with adding big men Tyson Chandler and Anthony Bennett. Yes, you read that correctly, former number one pick Anthony Bennett has agreed to a non guaranteed contract with the Houston Rockets

I will lay out three reasons that I believe these signings will positively impact the team next season.

No. 1: Tyson Chandler will give the Rockets a legitimate option as a backup to starter Clint Capela.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Nene for all that he did for the organization (and I hope he stays with the Rockets long term in the front office, or on the coaching staff). With that being said, he was not someone that we could rely on night in and night out to give us legitimate minutes off of the bench. In 55 games last season for the Los Angeles Lakers, on a per game basis, he averaged 16.4 minutes, 61% from the field, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.1 points.

If he were to replicate these numbers next season, he would be an upgrade across the board, based on the numbers NENE had for the Rockets in the 2018-2019 season.

No. 2: With the signing of Anthony Bennett, he is the ultimate low risk, high reward prospect for the Houston Rockets.

For the 2018-2019 campaign, Bennett played in the G league for the Agua Caliente Clippers. He appeared in 25 games, and averaged 12.2 points in 20.9 minutes per game.

Former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett has agreed to a non-guaranteed deal with the Houston Rockets, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 13, 2019

Bennett, who is 6 foot 8 inches, has fairly decent size to play the Power Forward position in today’s NBA. The way I look at it, with this being a non-guaranteed deal, what do the Rockets have to lose by taking a chance on a guy who performed at a reasonably high level in the G League last season? If he is able to elevate his game to another level, for the first time since the departure of Ryan Anderson, he would provide the Rockets with a big man who could shoot from beyond the arc. Last season, while playing for the Agua Caliente Clippers, he shot 42.1 percent from the 3 point line.

No. 3: Tyson Chandler is widely regarded as one of the best locker room guys in the league, and brings a championship mindset to the Rockets.

While playing for the Dallas Mavericks, Chandler won a championship in 2011. While that may be eight years ago, he will provide guidance and insight to guys on the roster that have never won a title before. The two main guys that I am speaking about obviously are James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Even though Harden and Westbrook have played together before, and are close friends, I can easily see some bumps in the road with how high the expectations are for them to win a championship. A guy like Tyson Chandler can help them navigate these potential rough waters, and provide guidance on how to make it to the holy land of basketball and bring a 3rd championship the Clutch City.

In conclusion, this is going to be one heck of a year for our Houston Rockets. This is not to say that there was not excitement when Chis Paul was the point guard for the team, but with the acquisition of Russell Westbrook, there is a different feeling around the fan base right now. Yes, there is a lot of angst, but once the fans see Russ and Harden back together, that angst is going to be quickly turned to excitement. As I have said before, buckle up Rockets fans, because I believe this is going to be a season that will be one for the record books.

Always and forever, GO ROCKETS !!!