Jeremy Lin, Patrick Beverley could both start for Rockets

(UPI) -- The start of the basketball season is almost upon us, but Kevin McHale hasn't yet picked his starting point guard.

But for the Houston Rockets coach, that's because he's got two good options, both of whom bring a mix of talents to the floor.

Jeremy Lin and Patrick Beverley each started two games in preseason play, and McHale says he's still deciding who will start -- and whether they might play at the same time.

"As a player, I always found it irrelevant," McHale said, about having a starting job. "I came off the bench in a lot of games. What is the big difference in playing 27 1/2 minutes off the bench and playing 26 minutes as a starter? I guess it's a big deal for some people."

Perhaps, but Lin isn't one of them.

"We have different strengths," Lin said, of himself and Beverley. "He is such a good defender and shooter. I am better with the ball in my hands, attacking. I think that makes us tough to scout, and it gives us the opportunity to give a lot of different looks."

So while Lin and Beverley have been about equal in the preseason, teammate Dwight Howard, for one, is in no hurry to see one beat out the other.

"It's a good problem to have two guys that are capable of coming in and making plays and starting," Howard said. "We're lucky to have them both."

And Lin agrees that the platoon could work out for the best.

"I watch him. He watches me," Lin said. "We feed off each other, learn from each other. I think that comes really naturally for us."