Trevor Ariza became a key part of the Washington Wizards in his third season with the club and his decision to sign with the Houston Rockets in the offseason was difficult.

“It was a tough decision to make, but it was a decision that I’m happy about,” Ariza said.

Through 30 games in his second stint with the Rockets — he played in Houston in 2008-09 and averaged a career-high 14.9 points per game —Ariza has supplied the reliability and stout defending he did in Washington.

“He’s been great, he’s been great. Trevor’s been one of our constants,” Kevin McHale said. Trevor’s defense and willingness to take and make big shots for us [has been great].

“Just his ability to guard. He can guard just about anybody. We had him on Anthony Davis. We had him on point guards. He’s an unbelievable crafty defender. He’s much better than I thought he was and that’s just from watching from afar. He’s just smart. He just understands angles and he just sniffs things out. He’s got great anticipation. He’s been great for us.”

“I think it’s gone pretty good,” Ariza said of his transition. “We’ve had spots where we’ve played well, spots where we’ve played not-so-well. But we’re coming together at the right time, I think. We’re getting a lot of new pieces in here to help us contend and I think we’re going in the right direction."