Trevor Ariza is becoming a star in Houston.

The Houston Rockets are without their star center Yao Ming and their star guard/forward Tracy McGrady.  Yet they are 4-2 and are tied with the Dallas Mavericks for first place in the Southwest division.  One would expect them to have a losing record at this point of the season, but they can contribute their success to the off season acquisition of Trevor Ariza.

Trevor Ariza has proven to be a solid player when he was with the Lakers.  But, with the Lakers, he often was the fourth or fifth option to go to offensively.  He was relied on to play defense and hit open threes, which he did extremely well.  Now that he is with the Houston Rockets, he is the goto guy.  With the absence Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, Ariza is being counted on to score a lot more.  Based on statistics, he is answering the challenge very well.

Trevor Ariza is leading Houston is scoring with 20.2 points game, a long jump from last years average of 8.9 points a game with the Lakers.  He is making a very strong case for the Most Improved Player Award, with his increase in offensive production (He is averaging 11.3 more points than last year).

Ariza’s most impressive performance this season was in a 111-107 victory over the Portland Trailblazers.  Ariza played 43 minutes and put up a career high 33 points.  He was 11 for 17 from the field and 5 for 8 from three.

Ariza not only has to score, but he has to play good defense for his team to win.  At 6-8 he has the height, length, and athletic ability to guard multiple positions on the floor.  Ariza, along with Shane Battier are the most versatile defenders on the Houston Rockets.

On his way to 33 points, Trevor Ariza shoots over Travis Outlaw.

Houston’s next game is against their Southwest division foe, the Dallas Mavericks.  This game will be a true test for Houston in order for them to gauge how good they really are.  Whoever wins this game will be the leader of the Southwest division.

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