Daryl Morey: Key career moment is coming for Danuel House Jr.

“I think he realizes that this is one of the key moments of his career,” said Morey, who complimented House’s play in recent practices.

In the 2018-19 NBA season, 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 final four playoff games of Houston’s unsuccessful second-round series against the Golden State Warriors.

While a toe injury was partially responsible for House falling out of the rotation, the bottom line is that his performance in the playoffs was short of expectations for head coach Mike D’Antoni and the Rockets.

Now 27 years old and in his second season with the Rockets, the 6-foot-6 forward appears determined not to let it happen again in the 2020 NBA playoffs. Before Friday’s practice, GM Daryl Morey was asked about individual standouts during Houston’s first week of practices at the NBA “bubble” complex in Florida. He replied:

I thought Danuel House Jr. had a really good day yesterday. Played with super high energy, and 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.

Earlier this week, reserve forward DeMarre Carroll — who could be competing with House for minutes — singled out House and starting forward Robert Covington as key factors when praising the length, athleticism, and activity level of Houston’s defense in training camp.

The Rockets rank No. 2 in the NBA this season in offense but just No. 16 on defense, which makes it a clear source of potential improvement as they gear up for the NBA’s restart later this month.

If defense is the priority, more minutes for House could be a solution. At 6-foot-6, House is among the tallest and most athletic players on the undersized Rockets, and he’s shown the versatility this season to cover both small and power forwards in the switch-heavy defensive scheme.

With Covington, P.J. Tucker, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, four of Houston’s five starting lineup spots are spoken for, assuming health.

For the fifth spot, D’Antoni has bounced back and forth between House and 6-foot-3 guard Eric Gordon. While Gordon offers substantially more experience and shooting, House has his own advantages with length and defensive versatility. As a result, once the Rockets (40-24) resume their regular season on July 31, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see D’Antoni continue experimenting to find the optimal role for each player.

In all, House is averaging 10.2 points (36.3% on 3-pointers) and 4.2 rebounds in 30.0 minutes per game this season — up from 25.1 minutes a year ago. He has played in 58 games, including 47 starts.

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