Daryl Morey: Rockets Should 'Benefit' From Second Training Camp

The Rockets added three rotation players in February, including starting forward Robert Covington and backup center Jeff Green.

NBA teams will head to Orlando in preparation for the season's restart later this week, and each of the 22 organizations still playing will hold a de-facto training camp before the regular season resumes on July 30. For the Rockets, the period of practices and scrimmages could prove to be especially valuable. 

Houston underwent significant roster turnover in 2019-20, adding three legitimate rotation pieces in February. The biggest move was swapping Clint Capela for Robert Covington before the trade deadline–officially beginning Houston's small-ball era–but a pair of post-deadline additions have also made an impact. Jeff Green appears entrenched as the Rockets' backup center, and DeMarre Carroll should see a modicum of minutes in Orlando. With a slate of new faces on the roster, the next two weeks should help Houston's cohesion.

"Because we had a major change to the components of the team, we do think a second training camp benefits us," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told the media in a Zoom call on Monday. "Getting more time to drill and rep things will allow us more time to integrate Covington in."

Morey and the Rockets should be encouraged by the results of their roster turnover before the NBA's COVID-19 suspension. Houston went 8–6 in 14 games after acquiring Covington, pulling off wins over the Lakers, Celtics and Jazz. The Rockets dropped contests against the Knicks and Timberwolves before the league's hiatus, though those losses can be largely attributed to fatigue. Houston is now more dynamic and athletic on both ends, with five capable shooters and a switch-everything defense. Morey said refining the latter could go a long way to reaching the Finals. 

"Defense requires a lot of coordination," Morey said. "We've had some great success post-trade with Covington coming to the team. We've had some really bad results. We've studied and learned a lot from both the good and the bad, and coach is going to focus those guys on how to limit the mistakes."

The Rockets enter Orlando No. 6 in the Western Conference at 40–24. They will face the Mavericks to resume their regular season on July 30, with tip-off slated for 8 p.m. CT.