Ben McLemore proving his worth in NBA Playoffs
Former Kansas basketball star Ben McLemore has been an effective member of the Houston Rockets this season, and he was effective in the first game of the playoffs.
After being a lottery pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, former Kansas basketball star Ben McLemore struggled to find a role with the Sacramento Kings after they drafted him. Since joining the Hoston Rockets in July of 2019, he’s started finding his groove.
Last night in the Rockets’ first playoff game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, McLemore totaled 14 points on five-of-eight shooting in 24 minutes. Four of his makes were from behind the arc, which is certainly a welcome sight.
He had to step up last night too, considering the Rockets were without all-star Russell Westbrook. Considering Westbrook could be gone for an extended period of time, look for McLemore to get more opportunities than usual.
Coupling his great shooting with Westbrook’s absence, McLemore may see a minute increase from head coach Mike D’Antoni for game two. The Rockets have a really solid team, and if McLemore can continue to find meaningful ways to contribute, it’d go a long way in showing NBA general managers that he can play. He doesn’t have to go out and play like his teammate James Harden, but if McLemore can contribute a solid 20 minutes, that’d go a long way.
Related Story. Top ten Jayhawks of the decade. light
With Westbrook expected to miss more games as well, look for McLemore to have even more opportunities to shine in these strange NBA Playoffs.
Houston ended up getting the win over the Thunder 123-108, and game two is scheduled for tomorrow night. One thing’s for sure, if McLemore can keep this up, he’ll prove that he deserves his NBA roster spot after bouncing around early in his career.