PrintNovak wants to be more than a shooter
Rookie forward is working on his defense and post-up game
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LAS VEGAS - Steve Novak was in a rush to return to his hotel room last week as he darted past the black jack tables and blinking slot machines inside Mandalay Bay.
He had a hot date with his VCR.
Despite being in a city filled with all sorts of guilty pleasures, the Rockets' lone rookie was more interested in reviewing film of his performance in the Toshiba Vegas Summer League than testing his luck.
He's aware that he has a lot of work to do to become a regular in the Rockets' rotation next season.
"I watched film every time I had a chance," Novak said. "I'm looking at everything I can do better and I'm really beginning to understand what the coaches expect from me. I tried to apply what I learned on film to the next game."
Novak is a three-point specialist who wants to become more than a three-point specialist.
During his week-long stint in the summer league, the Rockets' second-round pick showed flashes of a player with the potential to do it all.
He occasionally backed down smaller players in the paint for turnaround jumpers and surprised the Rockets with how well he handles the basketball.
But there was no question where Novak was most comfortable.
In five summer league games, Novak was averaging 15.6 points per game on 42.8 percent three-point shooting. He attempted 35 three-pointers with his quick release, which accounted for 57 percent of all his shots. Even the shots he missed looked good.
Novak's shooting touch was so impressive in Las Vegas that he was largely considered one of the most impressive rookies in the summer league and several experts believed that the Rockets have gotten a steal in the second round.
The Rockets selected the 6-foot-10 Novak for his shot in an era when NBA teams are craving big men who can light it up on the perimeter.
But even with all those kudos, Novak has to build his game around that shot to become a consistent contributor.
"Obviously, we're in need of shooting," Rockets assistant head coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He does that and he obviously has a great shot. But we need to develop his overall game. He is still learning what we need from him on the defensive end."
The Rockets are trying to mold the 6-foot-10 forward into a defender who can check NBA forwards and use his height to create mismatches on the offensive end.
Novak backed down his defender twice in the Rockets' summer league game against the Los Angeles Clippers and looked good doing it. But that was in an NBA summer league setting.
On the defensive end, Thibodeau said it will be a "long process" before Novak is ready to handle stopping an NBA forward.
Fortunately for the Rockets, Novak has shown a strong desire to get better.
"I'm trying to get down the little things," Novak said. "I'm learning ways to guard certain screens and I'm learning the team defense."
Still, the Rockets don't want Novak to quit doing what he does best.
The forward is Marquette's all-time leading three-point shooter and his range will certainly stretch the floor to open things up for Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming.
"I definitely understand that shooting is my greatest strength," Novak said. "But it's my goal to get better at the things that I'm not as good at. I want to be a good defensive player."
He'll keep watching film until he becomes that player.
