Ever since they lost Trevor Ariza t0 free agency in 2018, the Houston Rockets have struggled to fill their hole out on the wing. Last season, they tried to fill that hole with Carmelo Anthony, but that experimented only lasted 10 games. They also experimented with Iman Shumpert, James Ennis, and Gerald Green, but to no avail.
Next season, the Rockets are hoping that Thabo Sefolosha can be the answer to their woes at the small forward position. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the Rockets are signing 13-year forward. Sefolosha has been at Houston’s minicamp for the past week, competing for a roster spot with other notable free agents including Nick Young, Terrence Jones, Corey Brewer, and Raymond Felton.
Sefolosha’s deal is one year for the veteran’s minimum, according to Tim MacMahon of EPSN.
At 35 years old, it’s unlikely that he’ll spend a ton of time on the floor, but luckily for the Rockets, he doesn’t have to play big minutes to be effective. Through 50 games with the Utah Jazz last season, Sefolosha averaged 3.8 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting from the field, including 43.6 percent shooting on 1.6 attempts per game, all while averaging just 12.2 minutes per game. Under Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni, expect his 3-point attempts to get a boost.
Sefolosha is also a capable wing defender at his age, as he posted the third-highest defensive rating (102) on the Jazz last season behind Ekpe Udoh (100) and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert (100).
If Sefolosha can stay healthy, he can be a big help to the new-look Rockets. If he can’t, the Rockets still have one more roster spot and their full mid-level exception to add some help on the wing.
