One of the last big remaining questions for the Rockets going into the season is who starts at small forward. Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, Christian Wood, and Daniel Theis are all locks entering the season to be starters and the only question remaining is that fifth spot. Houston is essentially debating between a three-guard rotation with Eric Gordon or more of a traditional look with Jae'Sean Tate on the wings. If you've followed this team over the last several years, this storyline may not be new to you.
Ever since Trevor Ariza left the team in 2018, Houston hasn't been able to settle on a starting small forward to place next to James Harden and Chris Paul/Russell Westbrook. The team has oscillated between James Ennis, Danuel House, and most notably Eric Gordon. Gordon is a head coach's favorite warm safety blanket. He defends, spaces the floor, and doesn't care what his role is as long as it's consistent game-to-game. Going into this season, it looks like the Rockets will play that same game of limbo with Gordon, this time with a different backcourt and Jae'Sean Tate as the alternative look.
“It's been funny my whole time here,” said Eric Gordon. “For me it was just pretty obvious. Early on we had two hall of fame point guards in front of me so it was easy to [come off the bench]. Now it's just all about figuring out what's the best role as everybody is trying to figure out how to adapt to one another.”
The Rockets went with Gordon as the fifth starter in their first preseason game and it was as bad defensively as you would expect. It's not that Gordon isn't good defensively, but he's certainly not a good enough help defender to make up for what Porter Jr., Green, and Wood aren't. He strives as a one-on-one defender and this unit seems to need a little more that he can't provide.
“That's why we're just figuring it out for now,” said Eric Gordon. “We're going to play it both ways throughout the preseason and figure it out along the way. Along the way, I'll sit down with coach at some point and figure it out before the season.”
This is why Jae'Sean Tate probably makes the most sense and where, if I were a betting man, I'd place my money. Tate is so advanced as a help defender already that the he gives the Rockets a fighting chance to not be a disaster every minute he's on the floor. The spacing drops off considerably from Gordon, but that unit seems to need versatility more than it needs spacing. As for Tate, he shares Gordon's nonchalant sentiment about this.
“It's not about who starts,” said Tate in training camp. “It’s about winning and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
While it's unlikely the Rockets will win a lot of games next year, they certainly want to show that they've grown from where they were last year as a team. When and if the important games do come around this season, Gordon is perfectly clear what his role on the team is.
“I'm going to have to guard the best perimeter guard here anyways,” said Eric Gordon. “Nothing's really changed from the past.”
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