One year ago, Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. went from averaging more than 25 minutes per game in the regular season to not playing at all in the team’s final four playoff games.
A nagging toe injury didn’t help, but the reality is that House — in his first year as a consistent NBA rotation player — fell somewhat short of his team’s hopes and expectations late in the 2018-19 season.
Heading into the NBA’s restart at the “bubble” in Florida, Rockets GM Daryl Morey said House was determined to learn from that experience and not let it happen again. With the playoffs now only six games away, the athletic 27-year-old is following through on that promise.
In two games since the league’s restart, House is averaging 18.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 36.9 minutes per game, including 50.0% on 3-pointers (on high volume, too, at an average of 10 attempts per game).
He’s posted those gaudy numbers under a bright spotlight in nationally televised games against a pair of playoff teams in Dallas and Milwaukee, with the latter having the best record (54-13) in the entire NBA.
“I’ve been working in the quarantine,” House said Sunday. “I really dedicated my quarantine break to family, basketball, and my diet. All my hard-working results are starting to pay off even more. I’m just trying to play the same way I’ve been playing. Don’t get too heavy, or too hard on myself. Most importantly, have fun. That’s what it’s all about.”
The 6-foot-6 forward has also shown his expected versatility on defense, with successful stints defending both on the perimeter and also in the low post — where he showcased his improved strength on several occasions during Sunday’s game versus reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Danuel House has had some really encouraging defensive possessions against Giannis
— RussNinetyFour (@RedNinetyFour) August 3, 2020
“Because we’re a smaller team, we just want to make sure that we lock in defensively,” House said. “We don’t leave any doubt that we play hard.”
For defending “The Greek Freek” in particular, House credited Houston’s relative success — especially in the 16-4 run in the final three minutes that led to a 120-116 Rockets win — to a team approach. He said:
We loaded up. We talked. The most important thing was to stop him before he got downhill, of course. We did a good job about locating him before he could get the ball or even after he got the ball to make sure that we were on the help side and that guys were already communicating with one another. That’s been a big help and a big factor for us — communication on defense.
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As for the pressure of big moments, House showed he was ready for that by picking off a Milwaukee pass and nailing two free throws in the final 20 seconds Sunday, extending Houston’s lead from one point to three.
Giannis going coast to coast down 1 no timeout form the Bucks. Watch PJ Tucker guarding Lopez trailing but is lurking the whole time. Harden fights to keep the ball in front, Tucker showing help, House makes the effort and reads the skip to the corner. pic.twitter.com/fpep1YGQRq
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) August 3, 2020
House was modest in his postgame comments and downplayed the personal significance of those clutch foul shots, saying that he had hit free throws well since college. From a bigger perspective, though, the performance backed up Morey’s comments about House from July:
He clearly worked a lot over the break to be ready for this moment.
I think he realizes that this is one of the key moments of his career. Last year, he didn’t get the minutes in the playoffs that maybe he thought he would, and I think he’s trying to earn those minutes this year.
So far, so good.
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The left ankle injury to Eric Gordon in Houston’s final scrimmage forced House back into the starting lineup for these first two regular-season games. With Gordon expected to return before the playoffs, it’s unclear whether House will continue to start at small forward, or if he might go back to a bench role. Regardless, he expects to play and play well.
“I’m still getting used to it, but I think I do fairly well — if you ask me — if I start,” House said Sunday night. “But whatever the team needs is what I’m going to do, to make sure that we win.”
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House and the Rockets (42-24) will look to continue their winning ways on Tuesday night versus the Portland Trail Blazers (30-38), with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. Central. The game will be broadcast nationally on TNT and regionally on AT&T SportsNet Southwest (with Houston announcers). The Rockets are now up to No. 4 in the close Western Conference race for playoff seeding, just a game back of Denver (43-23) for No. 3.
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