Trevor Ariza Quietly, Decisively Proved to Be Right Fit for Houston Rockets

May 30th, 2015 by Jake Lapin Leave a reply »

Every NBA team needs a glue guy. For the Houston Rockets, Trevor Ariza fit the bill as his team advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

He may not be the flashiest guy in the league. He certainly isn't the most popular player on the team, with James Harden and Dwight Howard running the show. However, all season long, Ariza quietly was one of the most important pieces for the Rockets and all their success.

Especially throughout the playoffs, Ariza's agility on defense was the key to Houston's defensive strategy. In all three rounds, the Rockets switched on every pick, which is very difficult to pull off. The reason the Rockets and Golden State Warriors, to name a couple, were so efficient defensively is because they utilized athletic lineups that can switch on everything.



This would not have been possible if it weren't for Ariza. Throughout the regular season, he would match up on the opposing team's best player. It didn't matter if it was a point guard or power forward; coach Kevin McHale was putting Ariza up to the task.

So when the playoffs rolled around, night after night Ariza had a new chal ...

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