3 Goals for Houston Rockets power forward Gary Clark

3. Be effective on the boards

Gary Clark has shown in the past that he can rebound well. Even though he lost two inches of height overnight after an NBA height audit, the now 6-6 forward has good positioning and tenacity underneath. At Cincinnati, he averaged 8.1 rebounds per game, with three of those being offensive.

This preseason, Clark significantly upped his rebounding rate when compared to last preseason. While playing just 10.5 minutes per contest, his four rebounds per game amount to 13.6 total rebounds per 36 minutes. Impressively, half of those rebounds came on the offensive end.

Mike D’Antoni’s penchant for running small-ball lineups is bound to cause some matchup problems for other teams, but will likely lead to rebounding issues for the Rockets as well. Guys like Clint Capela, Tyson Chandler and Russell Westbrook can always be counted on to pull down their fair share of boards, but help from the supporting cast will undoubtedly be important.

One of the quickest ways to get noticed is by filling a need that’s missing. When D’Antoni sees something working well, he’s shown he’s willing to make changes on the fly to maximize his team’s output. If Houston starts struggling on the boards and needs an answer, Gary Clark just might be a viable option.

Next: No. 2