Rockets restart player previews: Bruno Caboclo

With the NBA scheduled to start back playing in the Orlando bubble at the end of the month, we thought it would be a good time to re-familiarize everyone with the entirety of the 17-man roster (up from 15) for the Houston Rockets. We’ll remind you what the first part of the year looked like for each player and then we’ll let you know what you can expect to see inside the bubble. Since we’ll be working our way up to the big dogs, we’ll start off with two guys we haven’t seen much of this year and don’t expect to see when the season restarts.

Bruno Caboclo

Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images

History: Caboclo came to Houston in a last-minute deadline deal back in early February. After his arrival, Caboclo appeared in five games for the Rockets before the season was suspended.

Outlook: I may be in the minority on this opinion, but I think there’s a chance Caboclo gets some minutes at the five during the Orlando run. At 6’9”, he’s the tallest Rocket other than Tyson Chandler, and he’s a far better fit for the small-ball system than the aging Chandler.

Caboclo was one of the first Rockets to return to team facilities after its reopening back in May.

In situations where the Rockets face tall, long opponents like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic, it would benefit to have a quick, lean defender that can guard those big guys without relying on a potential mismatch with James Harden or P.J. Tucker.

Offensively, Caboclo can be a threat from distance, which would also allow the Rockets to play five guys out and open up the paint for drivers like Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

If D’Antoni runs with his thin rotation, Caboclo will be out. However, there’s a reason why the Rockets traded for him and the team really likes him. He definitely can’t be ruled out of getting minutes just yet.