Observations from Houston Preseason Game
1) Julian Wright may be an even better passer than we thought.
The rookie finished Tuesday’s game with three points and one assist. Ho hum, right? Wrong. You need to see this guy play; don’t judge him by stats. On his first defensive possession, Wright stole a Steve Francis pass, dribbled the ball to the other end of the floor, then fed Hilton Armstrong with a nifty pass. Armstrong was fouled on a layup attempt. Wright was only credited with the one assist Tuesday, but he fired several accurate passes that led to teammates getting hacked on their way to the basket. Wright’s floor vision stands out, especially for a player who stands 6-foot-8. The Oklahoman newspaper columnist Jenni Carlson – who incidentally, was the reporter on the receiving end of Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy’s infamous postgame tirade – watched Wright frequently during Wright’s Big 12 career at Kansas. Carlson said she didn’t realize Wright had such impressive passing ability, partly because the Jayhawks frequently posted up Wright and used him as a power forward. When Wright is at the top of the key with the ball in his hands, he’s always looking for the open man. After Tuesday’s game, Rasual Butler raved about Wright’s dishing skills, and alluded to Byron Scott’s Magic Johnson draft-night analogy about Wright. After hearing Butler’s comments, Wright humbly joked that at this point in Wright’s NBA career, he is actually more like “Tragic Johnson,” drawing laughter from several teammates. Also of note, Wright collected eight rebounds in just 10 minutes of playing time, showing excellent activity on the boards.
2) Hilton Armstrong appears to have expanded his offensive game.
The second-year pro compiled a solid 12-point, six-rebound, four-block outing in 27 minutes. Among his four baskets, he had two hoops on left-handed drives that we don’t remember seeing him utilize as a rookie. Armstrong said his defenders were shading him to go to his right, which led him to use his off hand. The Connecticut product was also a force at the defensive end, highlighted by a sequence in which he rejected Yao Ming on three straight close-range shot attempts, but Armstrong was whistled for a foul on the third. Armstrong’s efforts drew a standing ovation from the Hornets’ bench. “That was real nice,” the 6-foot-11 center said of his back-to-back rejections of Houston’s All-Star 7-foot-6 big man. “I mean, that’s Yao Ming.”
3) Adam Haluska looks more comfortable after a rough summer league outing.
The team’s 2007 second-round pick did not shoot the ball well in Las Vegas this July (36 percent from the field, 21 percent on three-pointers). Byron Scott said at the time that the Iowa product appeared to be trying to do too much and was putting pressure on himself to perform. Haluska, who tallied 12 points vs. Houston and added a couple key hustle plays, seems to agree with Scott’s opinion. “I think I was trying to learn everything about the offense during summer league, and I wasn’t really playing – I was kind of a robot out there,” Haluska said after Tuesday’s game. “Coach Scott told me that you can’t play like that in this offense. You have to take what the defense gives you. I was trying to be in certain spots, but I needed to make adjustments. I’m getting more comfortable and having a lot more fun playing.”
4) Peja Stojakovic’s appearance was encouraging.
Making his first game appearance in 10 ½ months, Stojakovic misfired on his first several long-distance shots and went 5-for-13 from the field (3-of-9 from beyond the arc), but appeared to be fine physically. After missing 69 games due to a back injury last season, he could’ve gone 0-for-13 from the floor – it was still great to see him running up and down the floor and spotting up for open treys off Chris Paul feeds.
5) Is Chris Paul even quicker now?
CP3 seemed to get to the basket at will and brought out several slick dribble moves that we don’t remember seeing at the end of last season, when he was dealing with a stress reaction in his left foot. We asked Paul after the game whether he notices a difference in how he feels now that the injury has healed, but he wasn’t biting. “I just think I’m just more eager to win now than ever,” Paul responded when asked if he feels better physically in comparison to the latter portion of 2006-07. “I do feel like I’m in better shape, and I know that the team goes based on how I go, how Peja goes, how David goes, and how Tyson goes.”
The rookie finished Tuesday’s game with three points and one assist. Ho hum, right? Wrong. You need to see this guy play; don’t judge him by stats. On his first defensive possession, Wright stole a Steve Francis pass, dribbled the ball to the other end of the floor, then fed Hilton Armstrong with a nifty pass. Armstrong was fouled on a layup attempt. Wright was only credited with the one assist Tuesday, but he fired several accurate passes that led to teammates getting hacked on their way to the basket. Wright’s floor vision stands out, especially for a player who stands 6-foot-8. The Oklahoman newspaper columnist Jenni Carlson – who incidentally, was the reporter on the receiving end of Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy’s infamous postgame tirade – watched Wright frequently during Wright’s Big 12 career at Kansas. Carlson said she didn’t realize Wright had such impressive passing ability, partly because the Jayhawks frequently posted up Wright and used him as a power forward. When Wright is at the top of the key with the ball in his hands, he’s always looking for the open man. After Tuesday’s game, Rasual Butler raved about Wright’s dishing skills, and alluded to Byron Scott’s Magic Johnson draft-night analogy about Wright. After hearing Butler’s comments, Wright humbly joked that at this point in Wright’s NBA career, he is actually more like “Tragic Johnson,” drawing laughter from several teammates. Also of note, Wright collected eight rebounds in just 10 minutes of playing time, showing excellent activity on the boards.
2) Hilton Armstrong appears to have expanded his offensive game.
The second-year pro compiled a solid 12-point, six-rebound, four-block outing in 27 minutes. Among his four baskets, he had two hoops on left-handed drives that we don’t remember seeing him utilize as a rookie. Armstrong said his defenders were shading him to go to his right, which led him to use his off hand. The Connecticut product was also a force at the defensive end, highlighted by a sequence in which he rejected Yao Ming on three straight close-range shot attempts, but Armstrong was whistled for a foul on the third. Armstrong’s efforts drew a standing ovation from the Hornets’ bench. “That was real nice,” the 6-foot-11 center said of his back-to-back rejections of Houston’s All-Star 7-foot-6 big man. “I mean, that’s Yao Ming.”
3) Adam Haluska looks more comfortable after a rough summer league outing.
The team’s 2007 second-round pick did not shoot the ball well in Las Vegas this July (36 percent from the field, 21 percent on three-pointers). Byron Scott said at the time that the Iowa product appeared to be trying to do too much and was putting pressure on himself to perform. Haluska, who tallied 12 points vs. Houston and added a couple key hustle plays, seems to agree with Scott’s opinion. “I think I was trying to learn everything about the offense during summer league, and I wasn’t really playing – I was kind of a robot out there,” Haluska said after Tuesday’s game. “Coach Scott told me that you can’t play like that in this offense. You have to take what the defense gives you. I was trying to be in certain spots, but I needed to make adjustments. I’m getting more comfortable and having a lot more fun playing.”
4) Peja Stojakovic’s appearance was encouraging.
Making his first game appearance in 10 ½ months, Stojakovic misfired on his first several long-distance shots and went 5-for-13 from the field (3-of-9 from beyond the arc), but appeared to be fine physically. After missing 69 games due to a back injury last season, he could’ve gone 0-for-13 from the floor – it was still great to see him running up and down the floor and spotting up for open treys off Chris Paul feeds.
5) Is Chris Paul even quicker now?
CP3 seemed to get to the basket at will and brought out several slick dribble moves that we don’t remember seeing at the end of last season, when he was dealing with a stress reaction in his left foot. We asked Paul after the game whether he notices a difference in how he feels now that the injury has healed, but he wasn’t biting. “I just think I’m just more eager to win now than ever,” Paul responded when asked if he feels better physically in comparison to the latter portion of 2006-07. “I do feel like I’m in better shape, and I know that the team goes based on how I go, how Peja goes, how David goes, and how Tyson goes.”
