What to Watch for in Rockets vs. Pelicans

Houston has pushed their offense through All-Star center Alperen Sengun as head coach Ime Udoka continues the search for his fifth starter and potential starting point guard for the team.

This will be the Pelicans first NBA preseason game following their outing in Australia, and with a fresh roster filled with new faces like Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney and rookie Jeremiah Fears, it will be interesting to see how these two squads match up this evening.

Both Jeremiah Fears and Jordan Poole play with a similar flair, albeit Poole is a better shooter between the two.

How New Orleans plans to have both ball-dominant guards coexist will certainly be a test for head coach Willie Green, as the fifth-year coach is more than likely on a hot seat following the team's 21-61 finish last season. The Pelicans will need to see success this season if Green wants to remain the head coach.

Here are a few things to watch for in tonight's Rockets-Pelicans matchup:

Have the Rockets Found their Primary Ball Handler?

The main focus for the preseason is figuring out who will start in place for Fred VanVleet, and while right now their still no clear-cut favorite, fans can be at ease knowing that if no point guard is decided on, then Alperen Sengun will run the offense as he did in Houston's last game.

Against Utah, Sengun logged 13 assists, which was no surprise to fans who tuned in to the EuroLeague tournament this summer, where the 23-year-old big man was basically running the Turkish team's offense.

Coach Ime Udoka spoke to the media about a committee of guards that will rotate to start the season, but no names have been added. It is expected that Reed Sheppard, JD Davidson and Aaron Holiday are in the running to compete for minutes throughout this preseason.

Will Amen Thompson's Offensive Growth Continue?

All media members talked about this offseason when it came to Amen Thompson were the offensive limitations that keep him from an All-NBA level, but those discussions may be put to rest early this season as the 22-year-old continues to show some solid growth in his game as a scorer.

If the Rockets' Thompson twin can develop his jump shot early this season, then he has a chance at becoming a huge focal point in Coach Udoka's offense, which is in dire need of shooters outside of Kevin Durant.

Game Information

Date: Tue, Oct. 14

Time: 7:00 p.m. CT

Location: Birmingham, AL - Legacy Arena

TV: FUBO, NBA League Pass