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Chase Budinger looks to get his edge back for Rockets
By JONATHAN FEIGEN July 20, 2010Chase Budinger let
out one of those laughs that are really more of an exhale when something
is not all that funny. Things could be worse, he said, which in itself
revealed much about his play through four games of a summer league he
dominated a year ago.
"It would have been
devastating if the way I'm playing now was last year," Budinger said. "I
don't think I'm playing up to par right now."
Less certain is the
difference in perspective has led to the change in his play. No longer
determined to prove he belongs, having accomplished that in a solid and
promising rookie season, he has seemed to struggle to find the edge that
drove his play last summer.
Now a featured
player in the Rockets offense, he has averaged 15.3 points, making just
36 percent of his shots, just 25 percent of his 3s. Hoping to contribute
in more varied ways than as a scorer, he has averaged 4.3 rebounds and
just two assists.
In the Rockets
100-91 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, he finished with 13
points, but made just 4 of 13 shots, going 0 for 5 from beyond the arc.
He was scoreless in the first half as the Rockets fell into a 14-point
hole. Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan had 23 points in 20 minutes, many when
matched up with Budinger.
"Man, I just can't
find the rim right now," Budinger said. "You try to do other things.
It's been rough. The four games haven't felt like all there.
"I think I'm doing
better on the defensive end, helping out on the rotations. I'm trying to
focus on the little things out there that I need to improve on the
season."
Budinger had hoped
the summer league would offer an opportunity to expand his game by being
more of a playmaker. He has shown signs of that, with several strong
drive-and-dish moments, especially Tuesday. But overall, the Rockets
have tried to get him to do more, no matter whether his shot is falling
or not.
"I don't see him
doing different things," Rockets assistant coach Elston Turner said. "We
reiterated to him that the summer league team is here for guys like
him. You want him to be aggressive and try things and not be passive.
I'd just like to see him be more aggressive, don't treat this summer
league like this. You are the main guy on this team.
"It looked like he
had an edge last year. He had a little more pep to his step, a little
more attitude, it seemed like. The way his shot is, that comes and goes.
We all know he can shoot the basketball. He has enough talent in my
opinion to fill up the stat sheet.
"That's what I'm on
him about. If he goes 0 for 15 in summer league, so what. He needs to be
in there rebounding, passing and blocking shots. We've all seen how
athletic he is. He needs to fill that stat sheet up. Have some value
when your shot is not going. That has to be the goal of any player, but
especially the ones with that kind of ability."
Budinger had seemed
in the first few games of the week to struggle with balancing being a
playmaker and scorer. On Sunday, he started slowly and coaches
instructed him to look for his shot. He came on in the second half,
finishing with 21 points in his best game of the tournament.
"When I play, the
way I play is I take what is given to me," Budinger said. "Sometimes
that is me not being very aggressive. Sometimes that's me looking for
other players. Before (Sunday's) game, the coaches told me they want me
to be more aggressive. That's where looking for more shots came from.
"When I drive, I see
things that are open and try to get other people involved. I tried to
get contract and get to the free throw line, overall, it's been a
struggle for me the last four games."
His confidence,
however, is not shaken. He might not have as much to prove and that
might have hurt him. But Budinger does not have to worry about whether
he can turn it around.