(Editor’s note: We are reviewing all players from the Houston Rockets who finished the 2021-22 season with the team. To access other reviews in this ongoing series, click here.)
Rockets Player: Josh Christopher, 6-foot-5 guard, 20 years old
2021-22 statistics in Houston: 7.9 points (44.8% FG, 29.6% on 3-pointers), 2.5 assists, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals in 18.0 minutes
Professional Experience: 1 NBA season
Contract Status: Signed for $2.4 million in 2022-23; team options for 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons
Rookie guard Josh Christopher who was selected out of Arizona State in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft, did not come in with the hype and fanfare of his fellow rookie teammates in Houston.
Jalen Green was the second overall pick; Alperen Sengun, the 2020-21 Turkish League MVP, went at No. 16 overall; and Spanish international Usman Garuba was selected at No. 23, one spot before Christopher. So, it isn’t surprising that most draft experts didn’t envision Christopher as a significant contributor to the Rockets entering the 2021-22 season.
All he did was prove that Rockets general manager Rafael Stone has an eye for talent, and adding a talent like Christopher to the mix is part of a bigger plan the team has in the future. That became evident when Christopher’s NBA minutes increased late in the season due to injuries suffered by veterans Christian Wood, Eric Gordon, and Dennis Schröder.
Christopher scored a career-high 30 points versus Minnesota on April 3, 2022, becoming Houston’s first reserve to break 30 since former player Austin Rivers had 41 points against Sacramento on Aug. 9, 2020.