ROCKETS RELAUNCH

Here are some important takeaways after watching the Rockets new-look offense

Rockets John Wall, James Harden, Stephen Silas
So far, so good for the Rockets offense. Composite photo by Jack Brame

This past weekend quickly became exhilarating because of the appearances of John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins playing in a game together for the first time with the Rockets. It was also exciting for head coach Stephen Silas, as he made his first appearance as the Rockets' new coach. These three key components have a lot of questions to answer as the season is about to get started.

Will Wall be explosive off the dribble and going towards the rim after suffering an Achilles injury? Did Cousins make a great recovery from an ACL injury? How much movement did Silas add to the Rockets' new offense?

All these questions were answered as the Rockets finished the weekend 1-1 against the Bulls.

1) John Wall

Wall looked extremely explosive towards the rim by being able to jump off his left foot. He had no problems attacking the basket over defenders if not getting by them too. Wall shot 48 percent from the field, including 33 percent from the perimeter. He was efficient at the rim by making 77 percent of his layups. Wall's usage in 21.6 minutes was 34 percent as he was able to average 6.5 assist per game. He felt extremely comfortable in Silas' offense by maximizing his potential.

Wall and Cousins were great in pick-n-roll and pick-n-pop, which the Bulls struggled defending. Cousins was able to use his size to slow down the defender, which helped free Wall for layups or kick-outs. This weekend, Wall averaged 17 points per game, but the minute restriction came into play. Honestly, the Bulls had a tough time defending Wall because he attacked the gaps extremely well.

2) DeMarcus Cousins

Cousins was able to showcase his shooting from the pick-n-pop offense. He was able to average 12 points per game and shoot 62.5 percent from the perimeter, which is impressive after having a year off. Cousins looked preserved in Silas' five-out offense because of his positioning on the court. He mostly popped or became wide-open in the corner from the perimeter. When Christian Woods comes back, Cousins will rotate on the pick-n-pop, instead of living off the perimeter. Boogie did look impressive when rolling towards the basket in the pick-n-pop formation.

Also, Cousins is in great shape and should be more mobile as the season goes on for the Rockets. He'll be a great voice and another leader for Houston.

3) Stephen Silas and ball movement

Silas' ball movement on the five-out offensive was exciting because the ball touched every player's hands. Inside the Rockets' offense, Bruno Caboclo had a nice showing Friday night by shooting 62.5 percent from the perimeter. Caboclo didn't see any minutes from Houston's former coach, Mike D'Antoni. Friday night, Caboclo had 17 points versus the Bulls and got open shots because of the ball movement of the Rockets. Hopefully, Caboclo has more opportunities this season so he can progress.

Silas even found better shots for Eric Gordon, as he finished with 16 on Friday night. Gordon shot 50 percent from the perimeter and was able to find different lanes to attack on offense.

As the ball moves through the offense, more players on the Rockets got opportunities. Now that James Harden has joined the Rockets' practice on Monday, it will be interesting to see how he operates inside the offense. Silas' new offense involves less isolation, which helped Harden thrive underneath D'Antoni for four years. Harden has averaged over 30 points per game for the last three seasons. Hopefully, Harden changes his mind about playing with Wall because an enticing opportunity presents itself.

Silas has his hands full with this loaded offense since Harden, Cousins, and Wall are on the same team. Hopefully, Silas can make it work if Harden stays with the Rockets.

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Jeremy Pena will look to stay hot against fireballer Paul Skenes. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

The Houston Astros (32-27) travel to Pittsburgh to open a three-game series against the Pirates (22-38) on Tuesday night at PNC Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. EDT, with Houston sending Lance McCullers Jr. to the mound opposite electric rookie Paul Skenes.

McCullers (0-1, 5.89 ERA) is still searching for rhythm in just his sixth start since returning to the rotation. The veteran right-hander will need sharper command against a Pirates lineup that’s shown signs of life over the past week. Pittsburgh counters with Skenes (4-5, 2.15 ERA), whose early MLB run has been dominant. With a 0.92 WHIP and 77 strikeouts in just nine starts, the top prospect has already made himself a must-watch arm.

Houston enters the series riding a 7-3 run over its last 10 games, powered by a .288 team batting average in that span. Despite being outscored by one run during that stretch, the Astros' offense has shown signs of clicking. Jose Altuve is on a tear, batting .385 with five home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games, while Jeremy Peña continues to lead the team with a .309 average and nine long balls on the season.

The Pirates have gone 5-5 in their last 10 and have been more competitive than their record suggests. They’ve outscored opponents by seven runs during that stretch while hitting .272 and posting a 3.89 ERA. Oneil Cruz remains the top power threat with 12 home runs, and Andrew McCutchen has turned in a strong week at the plate, going 13-for-37 with a pair of homers.

This is the first meeting between the two clubs this season. The Pirates are slight home favorites at -146 on the moneyline per BetMGM, with the over/under set at 7.5 runs. Houston, just 10-15 on the road, will be looking to set the tone early as they continue to chase down first-place Seattle in the AL West.

Injury update

The Astros informed The Athletic's Chandler Rome that Zach Dezenzo is dealing with a "capsule sprain" in his left hand, and they will undergo imaging on the hand again after two weeks of rest.

Here's a sneak peek at the Astros' lineup versus Skenes. Jacob Melton gets another start, this time playing left field. Altuve is getting the nod at second base with Yainer Diaz in the DH spot.

*ChatGPT assisted.

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