Mar 27, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets forward(6) brings the ball up the court during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

This is part 2 of the 5-part series on the Houston Rockets roster heading into training camp. In this segment we’ll take a look at the power forwards or 4’s, if you will.

Other Positions

Part 1 – Centers

Part 3 – Small Forwards

Part 4 – Shooting Guards

Part 5 – Point Guards

Part 2 – Power Forwards

Terrence Jones – 6’9”, 250, 22 years old

Terrence Jones somewhat quietly, had an excellent first full season as an NBA starter. After excelling in the summer league last year, Jones kept the upward growth going and very quickly took the starting power forward spot over when the Rockets had to scrap the twin towers idea with Dwight Howard and Omer Asik.

Jones averaged 12.1 points, 6.9 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game in 71 starts at the 4 last season. He showed open court athleticism that worked very well in the Rockets running game. Jones played all 5 positions in high school before spending 2 years at Kentucky. His handle in the open court shows that as well as his ability to slash and finish at the rim. And both his scoring average and 3-point percentage when up in the 2nd half of the season.

Apr 11, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Houston Rockets forward Terrence Jones (6) dunks in the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Rebounding wise, Jones gets his hands on a lot of balls and is a decent rebounder next to Howard but isn’t going to make anyone think of Karl Malone. There’s certainly room for improvement. Defensively, Jones played better than expected but struggled mightily against LaMarcus Aldridge in the playoffs.

But Jones is still very young and last year was his first full season in the NBA having spent most of his rookie season in the D-league, so there is plenty of optimism that he can continue to improve on the defensive end.

The other area where Jones needs to improve is his perimeter shooting, where he shot only 30.7% from 3. His left-handed shot is somewhat unorthodox, awkward, and it takes him too long to square up and release it, not usually the kind of style that leads to 3-point accuracy. But if Jones can at least improve on his short corner 3’s and show that he can knock that shot down at a reasonable 35% clip, it would greatly help the Rockets balance.

Jones is clearly the starter on this year’s Rockets, although he may also be their most valuable trade asset beyond the 1st-round Pelicans pick. There is no guarantee that he won’t get moved if the Rockets do get a shot at another star.

Jones is still only 22-years old and has the upside to be a Thaddeus Young, Taj Gibson type player if not beyond. Very often a player’s biggest jump comes between his first full season and his 2nd season, so Rockets fans should be excited to see his growth from this past season.

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