Prior to Sunday’s game versus Phoenix, the Rockets recalled 6-foot-5 wing Garrison Mathews from the NBA G League. Under the terms of Mathews’ two-way contract, Mathews can shuttle back and forth between Houston and its G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
The Rockets currently have a clean injury report, so Mathews’ promotion isn’t simply a result of roster necessity. Instead, the Rockets (1-11) — who rank No. 26 in the NBA in 3-point accuracy during their current 10-game losing streak, at 31.7% — appear to want Mathews to be at least an option on the bench of head coach Stephen Silas.
The two-way deal allows Mathews to be with the parent NBA club for up to 50 games. Now 24 years old, Mathews went undrafted in 2019 before catching on with Washington. In two seasons there, Mathews averaged 5.5 points in 16.2 minutes on 38.9% shooting from 3-point range.
The two-way deal could be converted to a standard contract at a later date, which would eliminate any restriction on his total number of games. However, Houston would have to clear a roster spot to do so.
In two games this month with the G League’s Vipers, Mathews averaged 19.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in 32.3 minutes.
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