Danuel House Prepares for Increased Playoff Role With Rockets

House is in his second season with the Rockets after signing a two-way contract with Houston in December 2018.

The Rockets have seen more turnover than nearly any team in Orlando over the last year, with just five players from their 2019 playoff rotation still on Houston's roster. And one remaining Rocket could see a vastly different role in the 2020 playoffs.

Danuel House was a minor contributor for the Rockets in the 2019 playoffs. The Texas A&M product joined Houston on a two-way contract in December 2018, a deal that was converted to a regular contract in March 2019. House flashed skill and athleticism in his abbreviated regular season, but when the playoffs rolled around, he didn't quite earn the trust of head coach Mike D'Antoni. 

House averaged 20.1 minutes per game in the postseason, though he did not play in each of the final four games of the Western Conference semifinals. Now after a full season alongside D'Antoni and Co., the 2020 playoffs could mark a breakout of sorts for the four-year veteran. 

"I think [House] realizes that this is one of the key moments of his career," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told the media in a Zoom call on Friday. "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."

House has seen a significant uptick in minutes and responsibility in 2019-20. He's logged 47 starts in 58 games, averaging 10.2 points and 30 minutes per game. House is is likely to hold onto his starting spot in Orlando–Eric Gordon remains a valuable piece off the bench–and it appears as though the 6'6" forward had a strong start in Orlando.

"I thought Danuel House had a really good day yesterday," Morey said on Friday. "Played with super high energy, clearly worked a lot over the break to be ready for this moment."

It's been a winding career for House, who spent abbreviated stints with Washington and Phoenix before joining the Rockets. The Houston native earned financial security in July 2019 with a three-year, $11.5 million contract. With a strong playoffs in Orlando, he could secure a starting spot with the Rockets for years to come.