With the Houston Rockets preseason set to begin on October sixth against a tough Memphis Grizzlies team, the Rockets will look to test the waters with their new roster. The greatest addition they made this off season was acquiring point guard Ty Lawson. Lacking depth at the point guard position last season, the Rockets hope that Lawson can fill that void.

As NBA teams continue to rely more and more on small-ball lineups, there is perhaps more talent at the point guard position than any other position across the league. Having to face above-average players at that position night in and night out it is imperative that the Rockets roster features a point guard who can play with the best of them.

Looking at last season’s stats, Ty Lawson appears to be a top ten point guard. Last season Lawson averaged nearly 15 points and 10 assists, on 44% shooting. Lawson also managed to fall within the top ten of several other important categories.

9th among Point Guards in FG% with more than 15 Shots Per Game

7th Among Point Guards in Offensive Rebounds Per Game

3rd Among Point Guards in Assists Per Game

2nd Among Point Guards in Assist/Turnover Ratio

4th Among Point Guards in Double Doubles

7th Among Point Guards in Offensive Rating

4th Among Point Guards in Assist %

6th Among Point Guards in Offensive Win Shares

9th Among Point Guards in Total Win Shares

9th Among Point Guards in Offensive Box Plus Minus

4th Among Point Guards in Assist Ratio

10th Among Point Guards in Estimated Wins Added

Coming in at second among point guards in Assist/Turnover ratio, Lawson will hopefully help the Rockets to cut down on turnovers, an area they suffered in last season.

While the argument can be made that Lawson’s production will fall off this season since he has more talent around him to carry the load, things could also go the other way where Lawson’s game opens up since he doesn’t have as much pressure on him to perform.

Either way, as it stands now, Lawson is an upgrade at the point guard position, and the Rockets hope to improve with him on the roster.