The Houston Rockets are in turmoil, but one bright spot has been the return of John Wall. Wall hadn't played an NBA game in nearly two years, but he looked quick and decisive in his debut preseason performance. The team the Rockets are deploying at the moment looks nothing like their team last season, and John Wall's style compared to Russell Westbrook's style is subtle but makes a big difference.

On the daily Locked On Rockets podcast, host Jackson Gatlin discussed John Wall's debut for the Rockets and what Wall does that Russell Westbrook didn't do in Houston:

Jackson Gatlin: I think my biggest takeaway from John Wall specifically is that he might not be as explosive or even as quick as Russell Westbrook, but he looks so much more in control with how he plays the game. When Wall turns the jets on he knows exactly what he's trying to do with it. He knows if he's attacking his defender or if he's sizing him up or if he's baiting or if he's looking for the high pick-and-roll and then he completely changes directions back to his offhand to attack the rim. There were so many moments in this game where you could tell that he has, again, a better command of the ball than Russell Westbrook does.

Russ is a phenomenal, talented player, but there were times when you looked at Russ, and you were just wondering what was happening where he was just a little bit out of control. I use this phrase all the time: Russ runs at 110 all the time, and if he could just dial it back to like 95, then maybe he'd be a little bit more in control of what he was doing. Somebody else commented on social media, saying that Russ is the king of jumping, getting in the air, and not knowing what he's gonna do with the ball. John Wall seemed like he had an idea of what he was trying to accomplish with every drive and every cross. There was a purpose to the moves that he was making on the court.