3 Reasons the Rockets will benefit the most from a second training camp

There are several reasons to believe a second training camp will benefit the Houston Rockets more than any other team in the NBA.

Like the other 22 teams heading to Orlando, the Houston Rockets have been away from the court for months. The layoff has now been longer than the normal NBA offseason. On top of that, teams will deal with the uncertainty of playing in a bubble for potentially several months.

For most teams, this layoff has been a major hindrance as teams have not been able to practice together. Some teams, even with a second training camp, may not see much of a benefit from extra practices.

Some will be coming in out of shape or not be able to easily adapt to their new surroundings. Also, most team’s systems are in place so the fine-tuning may not show up as much on the court. For the Houston Rockets, though, a second training camp and the additional time off may benefit them more than most. Here are three reasons this may be the case.

1. Eric Gordon will be healthy for the first time this year

Eric Gordon has had a history of injuries that date all the way back to his rookie season. The latest injury caused Gordon to sit out for six weeks after knee surgery. Even when coming back, the normally reliable sixth man was slow and his shot wasn’t what Rocket fans were used to. It was obvious Gordon was not fully healthy, even when he came back.

When Gordon is healthy, he is easily the Rockets’ third-best player, especially after the Clint Capela trade. Gordon is a plus defender, and when he’s on, one of the best 3-pointer shooters in the league.

With the time off, Gordon is finally healthy. With Eric on the court, the Rockets are able to stretch opposing defenses using his ability to shoot from anywhere inside the midcourt line.

In a new interview with Vanessa Richardson of Houston’s NBC affiliate KPRC, Gordon had this statement on his prior injuries.

“When you have countless games and practices, you really don’t have time to rest. This really does help, no question, and I feel for sure 100% now. Hopefully this season will come back, hopefully this world gets back running and going sooner than later.”

Huge thanks to @TheofficialEG10 for talking with me about NBA possibilities, isolation, and the small bright spot for him throughout all this.

((Full segment here:https://t.co/S2hJPYJ589)) pic.twitter.com/im3IwWTUT3

— Vanessa Richardson (@SportsVanessa) April 13, 2020

If Eric Gordon can go back to becoming E-Money when the season resumes, that will make all the difference for the Rockets.

Next: Fine-tuning Small Ball