Tag: William Howard

William Howard returns to France, not on Houston’s restart roster

Howard signed with a French team, though fellow Two-Way player Michael Frazier and newcomer Luc Mbah a Moute are both on the final roster.

The Houston Rockets finalized their roster on Monday for the NBA’s upcoming restart of the 2019-20 season.

As expected, Two-Way forward William Howard — who had largely played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate — is not with the Rockets in the Florida “bubble” and is not on their final roster.

That’s because the 26-year-old Howard, a France native, signed a deal during the NBA’s lengthy COVID-19 hiatus with French team ASVEL.

A 6-foot-8 forward, Howard averaged 12.8 points (36.4% on 3-pointers) and 5.3 rebounds in 31 minutes per game with the Vipers. He played only sparingly in two games for the Rockets, who signed Howard in late December after a previous stint with Utah’s G League affiliate.

Due to Howard’s absence and the addition of injured newcomer David Nwaba, who will not be available until the 2020-21 season, Houston’s final roster of 15 players is one of the smallest of the 22 teams participating in the restart. Regular-season play resumes on July 31 for the Rockets.

Michael Frazier, who is Houston’s other Two-Way player, is with the Rockets in the Florida “bubble” and on the final roster. As such, he will be eligible to play once the season resumes. The 6-foot-3 guard, who is well regarded for his defense, averaged 14.9 points (33.3% on 3-pointers) and 3.3 rebounds in 28.1 minutes per game with the Vipers.

Like Howard, Frazier is also 26 years old. Players on Two-Way contracts are primarily G League participants, but they can spend up to 45 service days with their affiliate NBA team. Unlike most years, the league’s new rules surrounding the restart and associated health concerns after a long layoff will allow Two-Way players to be eligible for postseason play.

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The entire Houston roster can be viewed below. Besides Howard, other changes relative to their pre-COVID roster include the departures of young center Isaiah Hartenstein (released to make room for Nwaba) and veteran forward Thabo Sefolosha, who opted out of the restart.

Sefolosha’s spot was filled by veteran forward Luc Mbah a Moute, who is not yet with the Rockets in Florida due to an undisclosed reason. However, Houston Chronicle reporter Jonathan Feigen said Monday that Mbah a Moute is expected to arrive “soon,” according to a source. His inclusion on the final roster would seem to indicate that the Rockets remain confident as to his eventual availability for the restart.

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Rockets recall G League forward William Howard for road trip

Before Wednesday’s game, the Rockets recalled 6-foot-8 forward William Howard from their G League affiliate. He’s available to play now.

For the first time since signing with the organization, 6-foot-8 forward William Howard is being recalled to the Houston Rockets.

The 26-year-old Howard, who grew up in France, was signed by the Rockets to a Two-Way contract in late December. A player on a Two-Way contract is primarily a G League player, but he can spend up to 45 service days with his affiliate NBA team.

Until Wednesday, Howard had spent all of his time since signing that deal with Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

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But he was recalled before Wednesday night’s home game versus Denver, and the plan is for Howard to be with the team on their upcoming four-game road trip — which begins Friday in Minnesota.

Howard was at Toyota Center in time for Wednesday’s tip-off, but he was not among the team’s active players for the game.

There are several potential reasons for the move. For starters, the Rockets (26-16) entered Wednesday with a season-long losing streak of four games, and a new player, in theory, could help provide a spark.

Beyond the recent slump, the upcoming road trip features four games in six days, which could make additional depth a priority for one of the NBA’s oldest rosters. Veteran forward P.J. Tucker recently acknowledged that he’s playing through nerve damage in his right shoulder.

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Howard has averaged 13.9 points (53.4% shooting), 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals in 31.9 minutes per game in the G League this season. Perhaps most encouraging for the Rockets, he’s shooting 40.9% on 3-pointers on a high volume of 5.3 attempts per game.

On Tuesday, Howard scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in an 11-point victory for the Vipers (box score).

By the next day, he was on his way to join the Rockets in Houston, with hopes of making his NBA regular-season debut in the near future.

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Rockets to sign forward William Howard to Two-Way deal

The 6-foot-8 Howard, who grew up in France, has shot approximately 44% on three-pointers this season with Utah’s G League affiliate.

The Rockets are signing lanky 6-foot-8 forward William Howard to their open Two-Way roster spot, which was created when Houston converted rookie guard Chris Clemons to a standard contract on Thursday.

A player on a Two-Way contract is primarily a G League player, but he can spend up to 45 service days with his affiliate NBA team.

The 26-year-old Howard, who grew up in France, had been playing for Utah’s G League affiliate — the Salt Lake City Stars. Because he was not under contract with the Jazz, the Rockets were able to pluck him away.

The Clemons contract conversion was made official earlier Friday, which officially opened the roster slot.

In 30.4 minutes per game, Howard has averaged 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in the G League. Besides his length, his most impressive trait is probably his 44.3% clip from three-point range on relatively high volume at 4.7 attempts per game.

With the signing of Howard and conversion of Clemons, Houston’s roster is now full with 15 players under standard contracts and two players (Howard and guard Michael Frazier) signed to Two-Way deals.

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