OKC Thunder begin preseason versus an old nemesis – game day preview, Oct 3

Rockets key losses:

• Patrick Beverley – the bull dog of Houston’s defense it’s more likely his emotional contributions will be missed. This because Chris Paul is considered by pundits to be an upgrade on both ends.
• Lou Williams – the perennial Sixth Man candidate was a huge trade deadline edition, but Morey needed to send talent to LA and he simply became part of the package.  Since, Eric Gordon remains on the squad, Williams loss isn’t devastating, but a full season playing reserve minutes alongside Gordon would’ve been interesting to observe.
• Several other role players and youngsters left the fold, though it’s unlikely any were deemed irreplaceable.

Rockets key additions:

Chris Paul:

Although there were copious jaw droppers in debatably the most active free agency ever, Paul’s departure ranked among the most shocking. Not because it was assumed CP3 would return. By no stretch of the imagination was Paul staying expected. Rather, the manner in how his departure occurred was the surprise. Including the fact, CP3  decided to reward his Clippers via a sign and trade. This allowed the Clippers to get something in exchange. And, while it might not be a player(s) who’ll deliver the same assets of Paul the alternative would have been devastating. Just ask the OKC Thunder how much it hurts to lose a top tier talent and receive nothing in return.

PJ Tucker:

If not for the numerous All-Stars who changed addresses the signing of Tucker would be a much hotter topic.  Although defense is Tucker’s forte he shot 40 percent from deep with Toronto. That perimeter accuracy regressed to 32.1 percent during the post season.  Still, Tucker’s bread and butter is his defense and locker room presence which the Rockets will benefit greatly from.

In fact, this scribe and many others felt the exit of Tucker was the biggest loss by the Raptors since Masai Ujiri took over. That said, the loss of Patrick Patterson might be viewed as a greater loss. Let’s just say it’s a coin toss because both players were instrumental to the Raptors eighth ranked defense (top four post All-Star Break). Another side benefit is how well Tucker works with youngsters specifically to help accelerate their defensive understanding. And, PJ won’t hold back when it comes to the stars, he pushed DeMar DeRozan to give more effort and challenged him to become a better defender. Odds are Tucker will quickly become a fan favorite.

Luc Mbah a Moute:

It’s questionable if Mbah a Moute ranks as a big move though he does fit the Mike D’Antoni squad.  He can play either forward position, hits the three at a 39.1 percent clip and delivers a positive defensive (+1.6) differential. Certainly, he must be a Paul favorite as it’s unlikely Morey would have signed him without either the encouragement from CP3 or approval.