Sam Dekker: Doesn’t play in Sunday’s preseason game

Back surgery limited Dekker to three games as a rookie, but the Rockets have been seemingly pleased with how the 2015 first-round pick has responded to the setback since he returned to action for the summer league. Despite his good health and improved play, it doesn’t appear that Dekker will open the season in a rotation role, as D’Antoni unveiled a 10-man unit in Sunday’s game that looked like a facsimile of what we’ll see during the regular season. Dekker may need to prove in practices that he’s a better option than K.J. McDaniels or Corey Brewer in order to get on the court more frequently in 2016-17.