21-year old small forward Chase Budinger has been solid so far this season for the Rockets. He has played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Rockets this season and he is averaging 18.5 minutes, 9.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Budinger is also a really good shooter from three point range which is the skill that will get him on court often for the Rockets this year. 22-year old shooting guard Jermaine Taylor is the other rookie for the Rockets this season and he has played in 3 games (0 starts) and he is averaging 3.0 minutes and 2.3 points per game. He will have a hard time getting much playing time this year for the Rockets.

The Houston Rockets are a legit NBA Title Contender in 2008-09 which will limit the playing time of rookie power forward Joey Dorsey. Dorsey has only played in 1 game this season for the Rockets and he played 2.5 scoreless minutes. Don’t expect much from him unless the Rockets suffer a lot of injuries.

The Rockets got three players before this season started who will all play big parts in the teams’ very near future. It all started when the Rockets stole forward Luis Scola in a trade with the enemy Spurs. Scola moved into the starting lineup at mid-season and he was great for them. He will be the starting power forward for a long time in Houston. Scola played in all 82 games (39 starts) for the Rockets this season and he averaged 24.7 minutes, 10.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Look for Scola’s numbers to improve with added playing time next season.

Carl Landry was the 2nd round pick of the Rockets and he really played well as a rookie. He played in 42 games (0 starts) for the Rockets this season and he averaged 16.9 minutes, 8.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Landry shot an amazing 61.6% from the floor and that is because most of his shots were from close range. Landry only shot 66.1% from the free throw line and that will need to improve in the future…but that’s nitpicking.

Guard Aaron Brooks didn’t get a lot of playing time but he looked good when he did make it out to the court. He played in 51 games (0 starts) for the Rockets this season and he averaged 11.9 minutes, 5.2 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. This was quite a haul for the Rockets both for last season and in the future.

The Rockets drafted Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks but stealing Luis Scola from the Spurs is what’s making the front office smile the most. Scola has played in 58 games (15 starts) this season for the Rockets and he is averaging 22.1 minutes, 9.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He is a good shooter from the floor hitting 53% but he’s only making 61.9% of his free throws. Look for Scola’s numbers to improve big-time now that he’s in the starting lineup. Carl Landry has also been quite a find for the Rockets. He has played in 25 games (0 starts) this season for the Rockets and he is averaging 15.8 minutes, 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. He is shooting better from the floor (64.2%) than the free throw line (62.9%) and that’s pretty odd. Look for Landry to get more playing time to make up for the loss of Yao Ming to injury. Aaron Brooks has been buried on the depth chart of the Rockets but they really like him. Brooks has played in 37 games (0 starts) this season for the Rockets and he is averaging 11.7 minutes, 4.5 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.6 assists per game. His shooting is a little off from the floor (38%) but he’s hitting 84% from the free throw line. Look for Brooks’ shooting % to go up when he starts getting more playing time in the future.

Forward Luis Scola looks like a future starter for the Rockets and guard Aaron Brooks and forward Carl Landry have flashed potential despite their limited playing time. Scola has played in 28 games so far this season for the Rockets and he is averaging 19.2 minutes, 6.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. He also is shooting an outstanding 51.2% from the floor this season but he will need to improve on his free throw shooting as 65% is just not good enough. Aaron Brooks has played in 7 games this season and he is averaging 8.3 minutes, 4.4 points, 0.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Brooks also is shooting a solid 46.2% from the floor. Forward Carl Landry has played in only 3 games this season and he is averaging 5.7 minutes, 2.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. All three of the Rockets’ rookies look like keepers.