Trevor Ariza is the consummate professional.
Every game night, the Houston Rockets small forward is one of the first players on the floor for warm-ups. He's the man who sacrifices the most on defense, often defending players taller and bigger than him for the greater good of the team.
When things go awry, Ariza is the team's calming influence. Have a question, opinion, need to vent? Ariza is your man.
"I have been through a lot and I have seen a lot in my 12 seasons," he said. "Everybody sees that, so if they have a problem with something or see things a little different, players will come to me and ask what I think, what do I see? I just give them my honest opinion."
Ariza will do everything for his team and seemingly has played with everybody, so he knows how to achieve it. Ariza's cool demeanor allows him control with high-profile players and yet, also complement their games. He offers his teams balance and level-headedness.
And that, perhaps is the magic of Ariza.
Security blanket
Early in November, Ariza called out his team for "slacking" on defense. The team had just lost its fourth in a row. It was a very slow start to the season.
"As a team we're not playing hard enough," Ariza said. "A team is not one individual, its everybody. So we have to get it together. We're slacking and that's not the type of team we are, that's not the type of personalities we have as individuals. Whatever the case may be, we have to snap out of it and get it together."
The next night, the Rockets reeled off a 108-103 overtime win against Portland.
The Rockets have relied heavily on Ariza as a security blanket of sorts. He's been the one constant during this season of inconsistency. In fact, in his NBA career he's done the same with his six other teams.
"Trevor can play with anybody," said Mark Aguirre, an assistant coach with the New York Knicks, the team that drafted Ariza in the second-round in 2004. "He knows how to play the game and he knows what it takes to win. He does all the little things. He's part of all the mix. The stars play the game. Guys like Trevor win the game."
On the season, Ariza is averaging 12.2 points but over the past four games he's averaged 21.7 points while shooting 57.6 percent from the field.
He scored a season-high 31 points against New Orleans Monday night.
"An unbelievable guy," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. "I've known him for a long, long time even before he got in the league. I was here with Baron Davis and he told me this kid is going to be special one day. This skinny, about 170 pounds (player). He's been very, very good wherever he's been."
Give him the tough assignments
With the Rockets, Ariza is normally asked to defend the best offensive player in the front court and sometimes in the backcourt. In the last week, Ariza guarded Dirk Nowitzki, Anthony Davis, LaMarcus Aldridge and on Friday night when the Rockets face the Oklahoma City Thunder, he will cover Kevin Durant.
On defense, Ariza's long arms and athletic ability gives him a chameleon-like effect to guard different sets of people.
"That's just what they ask me to do," he said, smiling.
Consider how Ariza, who entered the league as a 19-year-old from UCLA, is described by two great players:
"He's a monster, man," James Harden said.
"He's like my little brother," Kobe Bryant said. "Our practices were always competitive like that, and playing against him was always competitive. It's fun to go against him and I'm sure he takes a little bit extra."
When Harden is being a playmaker, he trusts Ariza to shoot the 3, beat opponents off the dribble and take it to the rim. In his prime, Bryant was a demanding scorer who needed the ball. Bryant pushed and pushed and pushed his teammates. He didn't care. Ariza handled it and won a title with Bryant in 2009. Harden is similar to Bryant in terms of needing the ball, wanting to push himself to greater heights.
"I know James is like that, for sure," Bryant said. "They've got a bunch of players over there that really compete and go after it. Trevor having been on a team with a bunch of guys who were probably a little bit more chippy, he understands how being in an uncomfortable environment leads to great results."
Only one way to play
For Ariza it's that simple -- just play the game the right way, the way he was taught by all of his coaches. Whether that was AAU ball in Los Angeles under John Fisher, Westchester (California) High School for Ed Azzam or UCLA under Ben Howland.
"[Trevor] knows how to play the game and he knows what it takes to win. He does all the little things. He's part of all the mix. The stars play the game. Guys like Trevor win the game." Mark Aguirre
Ariza is a beloved figure in L.A. when the Rockets visit. For as many boos as Dwight Howard gets, Ariza always receives a nice ovation. In the NBA, Ariza has played for Phil Jackson, Kevin McHale, Lenny Wilkens, Larry Brown, San Van Gundy and Rick Adelman. He won a title in 2009 with Jackson's Lakers and Bryant. He's been around winning and success all the time.
Aguirre said Ariza's game developed from the bench during his rookie season in New York. From there he's evolved into a strong defensive player with well-rounded offensive skills. Still, is it surprising to him that's he's still in the league?
"I always believed in myself, so yeah," said Ariza when asked if he's surprised he's still around at 30. "It still took a lot of hard work and staying with it, a lot of disappointments a lot of everything. For me, the main thing is to continue to work, continue to grind on everything and stay focused."
With a young coach in J.B. Bickerstaff, the Rockets have needed Ariza during difficult portions of the season. With injuries, Bickerstaff asked Ariza to change positions on defense, but on offense still produce numbers to compliment Harden and Howard.
Bickerstaff said Ariza never complains. Never vents. Never sulks. He keeps playing like a pro.
"The only thing that matters is winning, and that's the way Trevor is. That's how he pushes day-by-day. He gets his shots up every day," Bickerstaff said. "Having guys like Trevor, guys you can depend on and trust is the most important thing to any success."