Houston Rockets Better Team WIth Carlos Delfino's Presence

Carlos Delfino is having a steady season for the Houston Rockets, in case anyone hasn’t noticed. On a team highlighted by James Harden and other NBA stars, Delfino’s production is valuable to the Rockets who need every player to produce as much as possible in their bid to solidify a playoff spot.

Houston is Delfino’s fourth team in his seven-year NBA career and in his inaugural season with the Rockets, he’s not quite getting as much playing time as with his previous employer, the Milwaukee Bucks.

But Delfino is still putting up some good numbers with 10.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He is a having one of his better shooting seasons in the NBA at 41.5 percent.

Delfino plays much better off the bench than as a starter. When he appeared in 54 Bucks games last season, he started 53 times and shot 40.2 percent while averaging nine points and 3.9 boards a game. With the Rockets, he has only started five of the 49 games in which he’s seen action. Delfino came to the rescue Friday for the Rockets in a 118-110 victory over the Orlando Magic. Delfino picked a fine time to have one of his best efforts of the season since the Rockets, generally speaking, had an off night and nearly lost to one of the NBA’s worst teams.

But Delfino was 6-of-12 from the floor, including 5-of-9 in triples and 4-of-4 in free throws, plus three rebounds. The Rockets needed him this particular night. Chances are, they’ll need him again soon.