By Josh Reese

Editor

Tarik Black started his final preseason game with Dwight Howard out due to a laceration on his arm. Black spent the night playing against Spurs Tim Duncan, and at times he more than held his own.

“I feel like it was a learning experience,” Black said of facing the great Duncan. “It was a test for me, but I think I did a good job.”

Coaches have the ultimate decision on Black’s future with the team, but it’s hard to argue against his production.

“Potentially,” Black said when asked about making the Rockets roster. “It’s all up to the guys in the front office,” Black told ROR. During the past 5 games, Black is averaging 17 minutes played while scoring 5 points and pulling down 4.6 rebounds a game.

The stats don’t blow you away, but Black does what the coaches are asking him to do. He has length and is by and large outplaying Joey Dorsey and Jeff Adrien. Because of that, Black looks to have made an NBA regular season roster, which is not bad for an undrafted rookie free agent out of Kansas.

Rosters will not be final till Monday. But the rookie has played better in the preseason than the veterans that were brought in to do, well, exactly what Black has been doing.

“Offensively, my game has to grow,” Black said, acknowledging that even if he makes the roster, he understands he still has to grow as a player.

Black takes pride on defense and says he would one day like to be known as a lock-down defender. “I have a lot of tools and a lot of potential, but at the end of the day it’s not there right now,” Black said.

In the end, though, chances are Black is going to be the big that will be the last man standing when the Rockets announces their final cuts.

“Hopefully the years it takes me to become the player I want to be, it will be here with this organization,” Black said.