On December 30, Beijing time, the Rockets have played all the regular season games this year, and from today to tomorrow, the Rockets have ushered in a rare 2-day rest opportunity. On January 1, Beijing time, the Rockets will continue to sit at home to meet the Eastern Powerhouse Miami Heat, and then the Opponents of the Rockets also include the Nuggets, the 76ers and the Wizards, except for the Wizards, who are slightly weaker, the rest of the teams are championship-level teams, will the Rockets' 5-game losing streak be extended?
Although it is regrettable to lose to the Lakers at home, the Rockets are not without gains, first of all, Porter Jr. and Jaylen Green's comeback performance is acceptable, which is the most gratifying for fans. Secondly, the Lakers who can fight with the two giants of James and Westbrook until the last moment, although this Rocket team lost Yu Rong, can only say that they are far behind the Lakers in terms of experience, but as James said after the game, the rockets backcourt Porter Jr. and Green scores are very explosive.
As long as the Rockets can patiently cultivate two new players in the backcourt, the future will inevitably be rewarded. Secondly, the Rockets' 28-year-old wing forward David Nuwaba also played a good performance in this game. In this game, Nuwaba continued to serve as the main striker, and he made 7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks and 1 assist in 33 minutes. As a small forward/points guard, Nuwaba was able to score four blocks in the game, which is not an easy task.
In fact, in the previous game when the Rockets lost to the Hornets, Nouaba took 8 rebounds and cut down 9 points in a single game, the offensive end of Nouaba's state has not been good enough, the shooting feel is also much worse than last season, but fortunately, Nuwaba's defense has always been online, not only the defensive skills are first-class, but also Nuwaba is also very tough, and dares to defend the opponent's big man with the size of a small forward, which is the most needed skill of the Rockets with weak basket protection ability.
In two games, the presence of Nuwaba has visibly improved the defensive intensity and hardness of the Rockets' front line, even if Martin Jr., Matthews and Tate return to the team in the future, Nouaba can use these 2 games to lock a position in the rotation lineup, after all, the Rockets no longer need an outside three-point shooter, but a tough flanking defensive gate like Nouaba.
After the game, Kevin Porter Jr., the first core of the Rockets' backcourt, also praised Nuwaba. Porter Jr. said: "I want to be a player like Nuwaba, I will actively communicate with my teammates on the court, if I don't hear the call to change defenses, I will take the initiative to call my teammates over." That's what Nuwaba does with the Rockets, not only to defend the opposing arrow figure himself, but also to lead his teammates to defend and stare at people.
Even Porter Jr. set his learning object on the defensive end at Nuwaba, which shows Nuwaba's defensive expertise. Although there is news that Novaba may be one of the rockets' potential trading chips, seeing that Nuwaba has made such a good defensive contribution in two games, Raphael Stone, as the general manager of the Rockets, must also think about it when trading Novaba.