Houston Rockets: Could Thabo Sefolosha be a rotation contributor?

The Houston Rockets add perimeter defense and a consistent 3-point threat in Thabo Sefolosha to their roster. What does this mean for them moving forward in a highly competitive NBA?

In what has been a rather quiet offseason, minus the movement of a combined $364 million in salary between Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, the Houston Rockets have made a considerable addition to the roster, in the form of 13-year NBA veteran Thabo Sefolosha.

Following a successful mini-camp held by the team in Las Vegas, which included notable free agents like Terrance Jones, Nick Young, Raymond Felton, and Corey Brewer, the team inked Sefolosha who clearly made a good impression on the team.

Coming off of a season where Sefolosha saw only 12 minutes per game, a career mark matched only by his rookie campaign, he had some noticeable upside, and downside. As far as his contributions go, he knocks down the deep ball at a respectable clip, clocking in at 43.6 percent, only 0.1 percent below his career-best, which he hasn’t seen since 2012, a year that he also saw immense post-season success.

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He brings a 6-foot-7 frame to the table, something that the Rockets lack on the roster, and offers a backup position for fellow forwards P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr.

Where Sefolosha falls short, is his postseason numbers. In his last playoff campaign, with Utah, saw him play 10 minutes per game, shoot a 12.5 percent clip from deep, and put up a -4.7 PER, where the league average sits at 15.

Also, as true shooting percentage has become a more relevant statistic, Sefolosha failed to deliver his career 49 TS percentage, falling 18 percentage points in TS percetage.

This raises the question, is the 35-year-old forward’s underwhelming performance a result of the team, and system employed by coach Quin Snyder in Utah, or a by-product of the aging process.

Of course, speculation based on prior stats goes only so far, and it is hardly out of the ordinary to see a player revitalize their game with a new team. Perhaps Sefolosha, under the tutelage of Coach Mike D’Antoni, re-kindles his career and provides consistent minutes for Houston this season.

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You’ll be able to see Sefolosha, along with new Rockets; Russell Westbrook, Ben McLemore, Tyson Chandler, Anthony Bennett, Chris Clemons, and more, as Houston makes their preseason debut on September 30, taking on the Shanghai Sharks at Toyota Center.

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