Rockets officially announce signing of forward Luc Mbah a Moute

Veteran forward Luc Mbah a Moute is back in Houston, though head coach Mike D’Antoni says he doesn’t yet know what his role will be.

The Rockets made official on Tuesday what had been known for nearly a week: veteran forward Luc Mbah a Moute is returning to Houston.

Mbah a Moute has not played for an NBA team this season, so he is eligible for the team’s 2019-20 playoff roster.

From the team’s press release announcing the signing:

General manager Daryl Morey today announced that the team has signed free agent forward Luc Mbah a Moute.

Mbah a Moute (6-8, 230 pounds) was originally the 37th overall pick by Milwaukee in the 2008 NBA Draft.  He last played for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2018-19 and is averaging 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 686 career games, with 453 starts. The Cameroonian native appeared in 61 games with 15 starts for Houston in 2017-18. The Rockets were 17-1 when he scored in double-figures. Since the start of 2016-17, Mbah a Moute has shot 49.3% from the floor and 37.4% from 3-point range.

Morey announced the signing on his Twitter page by linking to a highlight video, with the caption: “A little reminder of his impact.” In the Nov. 22, 2017 game that Morey linked to, the Rockets outscored Denver by 57 points in the 26 minutes played by Mbah a Moute — making for the best plus/minus figure in NBA history by any player in a single game.

Best known for his defense, the versatile 6-foot-8 forward played 25.6 minutes per game with the Rockets in the 2017-18 season. He averaged 7.5 points, including 36.4% on 3-pointers. Houston went 65-17 as a team that year, which was by far the best mark in franchise history.

Mbah a Moute had a 101.7 defensive rating with the 2017-18 Rockets, which was best on the team among consistent rotation players.

But Mbah a Moute dislocated his right shoulder twice during that season, with the latter incident occurring in the second-to-last game. That injury limited his availability and effectiveness in the playoffs.

Then, after signing with the Clippers before the 2018-19 season, a separate knee injury limited him to only four games. Now 33 years old, Mbah a Moute hasn’t played with any team in 2019-20, which means he’s played in just four NBA games over the last two seasons, combined.

As a result, head coach Mike D’Antoni said Tuesday that he wasn’t sure of what to expect from Mbah a Moute once the 2019-20 season resumes later this month in Florida. Among his comments:

He hasn’t played in two years. … That’s why the three weeks [of training camp] and eight [seeding] games will be important. He’s great on the bench and great in the locker room, I do know that.

Between the normal aging curve for an NBA player and his own personal history with injuries, it’s not clear whether Mbah a Moute is still the same player physically as he was two seasons ago. But if healthy, Mbah a Moute would seem to be an ideal fit for the new frontcourt emphasis of the Rockets (40-24), who are prioritizing versatile defenders such as P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington ahead of traditional centers.

Mbah a Moute’s versatility makes him an ideal bench replacement for Thabo Sefolosha, who opted not to participate in the restart. In fact, just before signing Sefolosha last September, reports indicated that the Rockets also had interest in Mbah a Moute for the same role.

By signing Tuesday, Mbah a Moute will be eligible to travel with the team on Thursday’s team charter to the NBA’s “bubble” site near Orlando. Those who test negative twice for COVID-19 will be eligible to participate in Saturday’s team practice, which will be the first as a group for the Rockets since the 2019-20 season was suspended on March 11.

Houston’s regular season will resume on Friday, July 31 versus Dallas.

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