Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. believes an uptick in strength workouts could be responsible for the recent downturn in his shooting.
In his last six games, the 6-foot-6 House is averaging just 6.2 points in 30.9 minutes per game on shooting percentages of just 32.6% from the field and 21.7% on three-pointers.
By contrast, in his first 15 games, the 26-year-old averaged 12.6 points in 29.5 minutes on 47.2% shooting overall and 43.8% on three-pointers.
What changed for Houston’s starting small forward? Many wondered if he might still be feeling effects from the flu, which cost him two games on Nov. 30 and Dec. 5. But it may trace back to the shoulder injury he suffered a week earlier in a collision with Denver big man Nikola Jokic.
After Monday’s historic come-from-behind home win over San Antonio, House explained the potential correlation to The Athletic‘s Kelly Iko.
In conversation with House, he explained that his recent uptick in strength workouts — both during practice and in pregame — are affecting his jump shot. His recent bouts with injuries have put extra pressure mentally to increase his strength, but it’s causing him to put too much force in his shots, and opposing teams’ penchant for hard closeouts makes him alter his shooting posture.
House will go through a shooting circuit Tuesday morning, and his target is to hit 100 3s, 25 in each area on the floor.
When the Rockets traded for Russell Westbrook, they didn’t want to make him a role player, or envision him to being the Robin to Harden’s Batman. They still want him to be Superman. https://t.co/sBsEbkgcgu
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) December 17, 2019
After injuring the shoulder in Denver, House then sat out the team’s next game in Los Angeles — a narrow defeat to the host Clippers.
On Thursday night, the Rockets (18-9) will have an opportunity for revenge against the Clippers (21-8) back at Staples Center. The availability of House should help the team no matter what, since his defensive versatility and length could help Houston better defend All-Star forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
But if House can also rediscover his shooting touch, it could go a long way toward improving Houston’s chances in that game and beyond.
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