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10. Montrezl Harrell (PF)

At least initially, Harrell will be above Dekker in the rotation, though that could change as the season progresses. He gets the nod because he is a better defender and rebounder. He has the potential to be a version of the 2011-14 Chicago Bulls' Taj Gibson off the bench, bringing energy and aggressiveness on both sides of the floor. He’ll need to show an impact to keep Dekker from climbing over him in the rotation, particularly with D-Mo’s situation unresolved.

Predicted Per Game Stats: 7.3 Points, 5.4 Rebounds, .8 Blocks

9. Corey Brewer (SG/SF)

Corey Brewer has had a better preseason than his 2015-16 season. And D’Antoni’s wide-open style of basketball works for him. However, he is still not looking very good, shooting just 41.7 percent from the field so far. That’s better than last season’s 38.4 percent but hardly enough to justify major minutes.

Predicted Per Game Stats: 7.7 Points, 2.4 Rebounds, 1.1 Steals

8. K.J. McDaniels (SG/SF)

K.J. McDaniels has been terrific this fall, which is why I think he will have a breakout season. He’s shooting 54.1 percent from the field, 85.7 percent from the stripe and has several highlight alley oops off of Harden feeds. He’s playing exceptional on the other end as well. The Rockets’ defensive rating with him on the court is just 90.5. He’s a playmaker on both ends, and that fits beautifully with D’Antoni.

Predicted Per Game Stats: 9.1 Points, 4.7 Rebounds, 1.0 Blocks, 0.7 Steals

7. Nene (C)

Nene has been opening eyes in the preseason, averaging 22.4 points on 69.2 percent shooting to go with 9.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per 36 minutes. Now, all of that screams small-sample size and preseason disclaimer.

However, as a low-post scorer with a litany of moves and a field-goal percentage title (2010-11) on his resume along with that stretched-out court, it’s feasible he returns to his Denver Nuggets-level of production on a per-minute basis.

Predicted Per Game Stats: 11.3 Points, 7.1 Rebounds, 0.9 blocks

6. Eric Gordon (SG/PG)

Gordon already fits comfortably with the Rockets, and he’s just getting going. He’s averaging 20.5 points per 36 minutes and a 59.9 true shooting percentage through the preseason. Space City has an offensive rating of 123.2 with him on the court.

Gordon could quite easily be logging the minutes and scoring the points to win Sixth Man of the Year. More importantly, Harden will finally be able to watch a Rocket who can score points when he sits down.

Predicted Per Game Stats: 15.3 Points, 3.3 Assists, 1.1 Rebounds, 0.9 Steals