Jeremy Lin Speaks on Building Chemistry With New Houston Rocket Dwight Howard

Point-guard Jeremy Lin said on Friday the Houston Rockets are on track to building strong chemistry as they head into the new season with All-Star center Dwight Howard manning the middle of the lane.

The Rockets, who have suddenly become a new powerhouse in a stacked-up Western Conference, held a mini-camp inside a gym at UCLA this week to familiarize themselves in playing with the 6-foot-10 Howard.

So far, Lin is impressed on what he sees in the Rockets new center during the initial scrimmage of the team.

"He's just an athletic freak," Lin told reporters, according to the team's official website. "Certain sets with him rolling down the paint toward the basket and using his athleticism, it's going to be really good for us. I think we can be really creative with the ways that we use him. He's just an animal when it comes to everything near the rim - he's thrown down numerous alley-oops already from James.

Lin believes Howard will be a really big boost for the team because of athleticism and strength he brings at the center position. Moreover, Howard's arrival will further improve the ball club's already formidable offensive efficiency after ranking in the upper of echelons in offense last season, while bolstering their defense, where they struggled all year. The Rockets allowed opponents to score 102.5 points per game during last season, the third-worst mark in the league behind Charlotte (102.7 points allowed) and league-worst Sacramento (105.1 points allowed).

Aside from getting acquainted with Howard, Lin said the mini-camp also helped them see the improvement of some of their young players, especially former Kentucky Wildcats standout Terrence Jones, who averaged 18 points and 9 rebounds per game during the Orlando Summer League.

"From my own standpoint, the guy that's really stood out from an improvement standpoint is Terrence Jones," Lin said. "He's been playing really well. He's confident, he knows he belongs and I think as a result we're seeing him do things that he couldn't do last year. He's definitely grown as a player. And Omri Casspi - he's also been playing really well. He can really shoot.

Lin really believes the new-look Rockets can achieve greater things if every player can set their ego aside and play through adversities next season.

"I'm sure that will be done over time and there will be bumps and bruises along the way like with every team. But having a week like this to bond and come together as a group can go a long way toward helping us overcome those obstacles in the end," said Lin.