As much as has changed with the Rockets, one fall tradition remains.
The question of whether Eric Gordon starts or comes off the bench continues to be in play, even with the other previous options in the backcourt either long gone or sitting and watching.
With Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. taking over as the starting backcourt, Gordon could have been returned to his sixth man role. That had worked for him before, winning the Sixth Man of the Year in 2017 and coming off the bench in 39 of his 69 games the following season.
Gordon, however, was back in the starting lineup in the Rockets preseason opener on Tuesday, working in a three-guard lineup even with the young guards taking the bulk of shots from the perimeter.
“I’ve just been messing around with the lineups,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said of his ongoing experiments. “I think Kevin and Jalen kind of fit well together and having Eric out there as the defender that he can be and also the shooting that he provides kind of fits with that group initially. But we’ll see. It is a very much about a ‘we’ll see’ situation.”
Gordon, who was out for Thursday’s game against the Miami Heat with a sore left ankle, said he does not have a preference but does like sticking with one lineup choice or the other if possible, a position he has held for several years.
That has not always worked out given the Rockets’ injury issues. He started in 2018-19 before he was a reserve in 21 of the 36 games he played in 2019-20 and split his time in the starting lineup and off the bench last season.
“We want to play it both ways throughout the preseason and figure it out along the way. I’ll sit down with coach at some point and figure it out before the season,” Gordon said.
“It’s been funny my whole time here. Early on you had two Hall of Fame guards in front of me. Now, it’s all about figuring out what’s the best role. Everybody’s trying to figure out how we can adapt to each other and what’s the best group to start out or if it’s best for me to get going off the bench.”
Even with all the changes, with James Harden, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook gone and John Wall sitting out, the Rockets still value Gordon greatly. Rockets general manager Rafael Stone called him “truly elite.”
“Eric’s a guy who can do everything,” Stone said. “I think he’s looking forward to it as a year he can be healthy and really put his stamp on a group. Eric’s at a point in his career that every single other player on our team is trying to get to.”
To Stone, Gordon’s defense is essential to putting him in that category. It could be a reason to have him start, allowing him to take on the toughest assignment, rather than ask that of Porter or Green.
“I’m going to have to guard the best perimeter guard anyway,” Gordon said. “Nothing really changes from the past.”
That can be said of the annual lineup decision-making, too, with the familiar conversations and choices still to be made.
“We’ve been talking about it quite a bit, trying to figure out where he fits best with the group, how he feels the most comfortable,” Stone said. “We’ll see how the group works with him as a starter and how the group works with him coming off the bench and make our decision. We’re not in any rush.”
jonathan.feigen@chron.com
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