To gain more insight into the abilities of the Houston Rockets’ newest acquisition, I got together with Eddy Rivera of ESPN TrueHoop’s official Orlando Magic blog, Magic Basketball:
Rahat: Having watched him up close as a rookie during the Magic’s Finals run, can you tell us more about Courtney Lee? The impression I’ve gotten is that ‘he is what he is’, in that he doesn’t have room for much more growth, but won’t make many mistakes as a solid contributor – is that a fair assessment or does he have future potential?
Eddy: Yeah, Courtney Lee is what he is. At this stage in his career, Lee is a good role player — nothing more, nothing less. It’s doubtful that Lee will ever be more than, at best, a starting-caliber player in the NBA.
Rahat: Stan Van Gundy called him the best defender on that Magic team – can he be elite defensively?
Eddy: Sure, but it’s highly unlikely that Lee will transform into an elite defender. Lee did a lot of solid things defensively when he was with the Orlando Magic. But it seems like there’s some physical limitations that will prevent Lee from being more than a good defender in the league. Lee is a shooting guard that had some trouble against stronger players, especially when he was asked to defend them on the low block. This isn’t to say that Lee isn’t a net positive on defense because he is. However, it’d be unwise to expect a lot from Lee because there’s only so much he can do.
Rahat: The Rockets compare him to Shane Battier in terms of preparedness – do you see that cerebral aspect in his game (ie: attentiveness to detail, conservatism in approach)?
Eddy: Lee has a high basketball IQ, no question. People need to understand that head coach Stan Van Gundy is a demanding figure, more so on defense than anything else. And what was most impressive about Lee in his rookie season with the Magic was that it didn’t take him long to gain Van Gundy’s trust (easier said than done) and become a reliable wing defender that could do some things on offense here and there. This is cliche but Lee had a great feel for Orlando’s schemes on both ends of the floor. Lee knew his role, and that’s one of the main reasons why he eventually became the Magic’s starting shooting guard.
Rahat: What’s his skillset like? Can he create off the dribble?
Eddy: Lee is best suited as a spot-up shooter, though it’d be nice if he was more assertive offensively given his talents.
Can Lee create off the dribble? Yes, but Lee is not great at generating his own offense if that makes any sense. It’s not uncommon to see Lee take a few dribbles and pull up for a mid-range jumper, but don’t expect him to consistently break down an opposing defender with the basketball in his hands. That’s asking too much. Lee can do a little bit of everything, like score at the rim and execute pick and rolls, yet there’s nothing he does offensively that stands out like crazy. Still, Lee is in a great situation with the Houston Rockets because the personnel on the roster should play to his strengths on offense.
