Jock Landale won’t rest on his laurels in Houston

What trajectory for Jock Landale ! After a rookie year at Spurs at 25, the Australian pivot continued his NBA career at the Suns, where he was highlighted in the conference semi-finals lost by Phoenix to eventual champion Denver.

His regularity in the regular season and his postseason thus earned him to see his rating increase on the free agency market, to the point of committing to Houston with a four-year contract for 32 million dollars!

“It’s a real whirlwind of emotions”, did he declare the day after signing his new contract. “It’s obviously something I’ve dreamed of doing for a long time: to be able to earn my place in an environment like that. Now that it’s done, I feel like it’s a day like any other. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

A contract that keeps him under pressure

The peculiarity of Jock Landale’s situation is that only his first year of contract, at 7.4 million dollars, is currently guaranteed. For the rest, he will have to prove himself to convince the Rockets to continue the adventure with him. A way to keep him under pressure, which he appreciates.

“I feel like I’ve made my mark until I can play, and when I’ve played more I’ve always been productive. If I can have the confidence of a coach and the support of a front office behind me, and they all support this decision, I believe I can play until the end of the contract. As the contract is not guaranteed, I do not have the possibility of slowing down, which is very important and plays a little on my character. I still have to deserve everything”.

Nothing is certain for him yet. His mission seems less important than in Phoenix where he had to fight behind Deandre Ayton and Bismack Biyombo to get his minutes. However, nothing will be given to him, and it will still be up to him to earn his place in Ime Udoka’s rotation.

“It’s obvious that Sengun has done a great job of becoming a starter in the NBA, but if you compare his minutes to those of a top player like Deandre Ayton, you can see that the difference between the minutes of the two players is huge”he added. “Alperen plays 28-29 minutes per game, so there are 19-20 minutes available per night. When I spoke to Ime, he told me to come and earn his place, like everyone else. I think it’s a healthy style of competition. I can’t wait for this opportunity, but the door is open, I just have to go through it”.

Playoffs that whetted his appetite

Not content with having two seasons of experience in his luggage, Jock Landale also learned a lot from the playoff rounds experienced with the Suns, in particular when he became a more important adjustment variable in the series against Denver, finding themselves in the spotlight challenging Nikola Jokic and deputizing for Deandre Ayton.

In any case, the series helped him understand the kind of role he could play in the NBA.

“Getting through the cracks, doing the dirty work, all teams need it. Look at Dillon Brooks, for example. He is the referenced player he has become”he added about his future teammate in Houston. “Towards the end of the season, I realized that the best way for me to be productive was to do the dirty work and enjoy the creation of others, without trying to force anything”.

Something to boost his confidence, he who hopes to return to the postseason at the end of the coming season, with the Rockets this time. “I think that’s what we’re going to do. I hope so anyways “he concluded.

How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.