Rockets TyTy Washington Jr. Receives Prominent Playing Time vs. Heat

Rookie prospect TyTy Washington Jr. set a career-high in minutes played during the Houston Rockets' home loss to the Heat.

HOUSTON — Thursday was a good night for a pair of guards from the University of Kentucky. Tyler Herro scored a career-high 41 points on 10-of-15 shooting from behind the arc, as the Houston Rockets fell 111-108 to the Miami Heat inside the Toyota Center.

While Herro put on a shooting clinic, TyTy Washington Jr. was the other Kentucky product to reach a career milestone. 

The Rockets' interconference match against the Heat marked Washington's third career contest. But instead of receiving playing time during the final minutes, the game marked Washington's first real opportunity to compete on an NBA level.

"It felt good," Washington said. "It felt like a dream come true. I am blessed to be in this position. It was fun going out there. But unfortunately, we did not get the job done."

Washington played 12 minutes off the bench and recorded five assists with no turnovers and two points.

Coach Stephen Silas vowed he would find minutes for Washington after an impressive outing in the G League, where he averaged 20.2 points across 10 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.  

It was possible that Silas would play his rookie prospect at some point during their seven-game homestand. But it was unexpected that Washington played ahead of Daishen Nix.

He entered the game at the 2:06 mark of the first quarter. Washington checked in around the time Silas normally calls upon Nix as Houston's back-up point guard. Silas stated after the game that Nix wasn't feeling well, which led to his second DNP (coach's decision) of the season. 

Silas did give Washington a heads-up before the night, telling him to "stay ready." His advice led to Washington playing 12 minutes while recording five assists, two points and zero turnovers.

"He did a good job," Silas said. "He ran the show and made plays for his teammates. With five assists and no turnovers, that's pretty good. For his first game, he looked uncomfortable early on. But once he settled in, he did a good job."

Washington admitted to having jitters at the start of the night but gained his composure after committing a shooting foul on Herro with 51.1 seconds left in the first quarter.

Washington said his favorite assist of the night came with 11 minutes and 39 seconds left in the fourth quarter. 

After receiving a pick from Usman Garuba, Washington attacked downhill to connect with Tari Eason on a wrap-around pass. Eason converted the dunk attempt to give the Rockets a brief 87-86 lead.

"He was ready," Kevin Porter Jr. said. "TyTy came in and got people in the right spots. For him to be thrown in there as a rookie, TyTy managed it well."

When self-evaluating his performance, Washington felt he made the right plays to keep his teammates involved but wished he was more aggressive on both ends.

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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